


Strings of Fate

by TheGirlWhoRemembers



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Crack, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fangirls and Fanboys, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Frozen (2013) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Alternate Universe - Out of Character, Alternate Universe - Popstar, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Alternate Universe - Sea Change, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Alternate Universe - X-Men Fusion, Boyband, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, M/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 77,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8828218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlWhoRemembers/pseuds/TheGirlWhoRemembers
Summary: It must be the work of the Fates, because they somehow find each other in every universe. Or, a series of AU oneshots about the Seven and their friends.Latest update: ‘Annabeth Chase!’ Nothing was going to separate them. Nothing. Percy Jackson stepped forward. ‘I volunteer as Tribute!’ And so they became they became the lovers of District Four…





	1. Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> This was all written pre-Trials of Apollo, so only references canon up until that point. 
> 
> I'll try to post a chapter a day until I run out of chapters.

_2004_

This is the first year that they all go trick-or-treating together. 

7-year-old Percy is a bundle of energy, delighted by his Aquaman costume, while 7-year-old Annabeth, dressed as Hermione (her favourite character from a book series that none of the others have read because they’re younger and not as smart as she is) thinks that he looks and acts like an idiot (or a Seaweed Brain, as she puts it). 

6-year-old Piper grumbles about the princess costume her mother has forced her to wear, but feels a lot better when Jason, also 6, and dressed as a knight, gives her his dagger so she can be a warrior princess.

6-year-old Leo struggles to walk in his robot costume, made by his mother, but absolutely refuses when Sally, Esperanza and Emily suggest that he might be more comfortable if he takes it off.

Frank, already big for a 6-year-old, looks absolutely adorable in his teddy bear costume, a sentiment that 3-year-old Hazel, the baby of the group, seems to agree with, as the little girl in the 1930s dress refuses to let go of him.

The three mothers exchange significant looks and wonder whether the children’s adorable behaviour might signify something.

==========

_2005_

They’re a little older this year, so it’s agreed that they can stay out trick-or-treating after dark for the first time. (But only for a little while.) 

This year, Percy is Aqauman again, which Annabeth (as Athena- she has recently discovered a love for all things Ancient Greece) insists is ridiculous, because a major part of Halloween tradition is that one dresses up as something different every year. He splashes her with water, and she glares so hard at him that he goes and hides behind his mother, even though he’s a big boy now. 

Piper’s mother has managed to force her into a princess costume again, but this time, she was prepared, and had not only obtained her own sword and trusty steed, but had hidden scissors and cut her long hair into some sort of messy, choppy hairstyle that is certainly not princess- like. Jason, who is Superman (doubtlessly due to Percy’s influence), tells her she looks pretty because he’s been told that’s the right thing to say to girls (and she is pretty), and she gives him a hug.

Leo has decided to go as a robot again, but this time, a far more streamlined one. He’s convinced his mother that by sewing felt onto fairly tight clothes, he can be a convincing robot while being able to walk properly. (And he’s right, and Esperanza is so proud.)

Frank is a panda, because he’s decided to embrace his cultural heritage, while little Hazel is Mary Poppins (whom she loves because she gets to ride a pretty horse). Hazel is a little scared about going trick-or-treating after dark, so Emily suggests to Frank that he hold Hazel’s hand because he’s a big boy, and he blushes bright red but does it anyway, and Hazel gives him some of her candy for protecting her from scary things. 

The three mothers are pretty sure that the children’s adorable behaviour really does signify something.

==========

_2006_

It’s the first year that they all go to school together, because little Hazel is finally old enough, and as a result, they’re closer friends than ever, despite being in different grades.

Percy is Aquaman yet again, which causes Annabeth, as Susan B. Anthony, to declare that she gives up on Seaweed Brain and his seaweed brain. This makes Percy a little sad for the whole evening, because Wise Girl ignores him the whole time. (Or at least pretends to; the three mothers catch her stealing glances at him all the time when he’s not looking.)

Piper’s mother has given up on the whole princess thing, and left Piper to choose her own costume. As a result, she has feathers in her hair and is wearing a shirt belonging to her dad as a dress and can’t really explain what she actually is. Leo, a mechanic, thinks that she looks silly and can’t stop laughing, so she pokes him really hard, but Jason (King Arthur) thinks that she looks pretty and tells her so and she boldly kisses him on the cheek.

Hazel is Emily Elizabeth and has somehow managed to convince Frank to be her Clifford. As Emily tells the other mothers, it wasn’t difficult- all she had to do was ask him. 

The three mothers are pretty sure that the kids are at least going to date when they’re older.

==========

_2007_

This year, the kids all get together and beg to start their trick-or-treating after dark, instead of before sunset, because they’re all big now as even little Hazel is in the first grade. Despite Annabeth’s rather well-made powerpoint presentation, Piper’s charm, Leo’s insistence that he’s invented a gadget to keep them all safe, Percy’s pouting, and Frank and Hazel’s adorableness, as well as Jason’s expert organization of the whole thing, they don’t get their way.

Percy is Aquaman, because he always is. Annabeth is an Amazon, and she declares that while Seaweed Brain’s continual dressing up as Aquaman defies Halloween convention; it is more than acceptable because it challenges the existing norms and thus establishes a new convention. No-one is quite sure how much of that Percy actually understands, but he grins like a maniac for the entire evening anyway.

Piper has managed to obtain some traditional Cherokee clothing, which Jason (a pilot) thinks is really awesome and makes her look really, really pretty. But this year he doesn’t tell her because it feels kind of awkward, and Piper looks kind of sad when they drop her off at her house.

Leo has started noticing girls (which is already starting to give Esperanza a headache), so he’s wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses because somehow he’s managed to pick up that girls like bad boys.

Hazel is Dorothy, and it’s probably becoming some sort of tradition, because Frank is her Toto. This year, Emily says, she didn’t even have to ask. When she mentioned that she was going to be Dorothy, Frank automatically said he was going to be her Toto, before getting very flustered and mumbling that he didn’t have to be if she didn’t want him to be.

The three mothers have now realized it’s just a matter of time.

==========

_2008_

This year, they still don’t get to go trick-or-treating entirely after dark, because Hazel is still too young. (She offers to go with some kids from her grade so they can go after dark, but the others can’t even comprehend the idea of ditching her because she’s their friend and one of them.)

Percy is Aquaman, of course, but this year, he’s a very sad Aquaman. Annabeth has declared that trick-or-treating is for children, so since she isn’t a child anymore, she’s not going. But they all stop outside her house, and he goes and knocks on the door and pouts and begs and pleads and eventually Annabeth puts on the dress pants and blouse that she recently demanded her parents buy her and says that she’s an architect for Halloween. Percy cheers up noticeably.

Piper is a gypsy fortune teller this year, while Jason is a noble soldier from some unspecified time in the past. They both pick up on their resemblance to two characters from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which makes Jason a little uncomfortable and Piper really happy. 

Leo is a mad scientist, and he spends half the time staring at (generally older) girls. Sally and Emily spend a lot of time comforting poor Esperanza.

Hazel has become really obsessed with horses, so she’s a horse-rider and Frank is her horse. He actually carries her around on his back for a little while, and Hazel has never looked happier. She declares that he’s her bestest best friend and Frank is red from more than the exhaustion.

The three mothers wonder who’s going to be hosting the prom photos.

==========

_2009_

This year, the kids go trick-or-treating entirely after dark for the first time.

Percy is Aquaman, as usual, while Annabeth is a historically accurate Roman Patrician woman. The first thing that Percy says when he sees her is that she’s even prettier than usual, which results in a general awkwardness between the two for the entire trip. (Sally shakes her head affectionately, and Emily and Esperanza exchange significant looks.)

Jason is Robin Hood, and Piper is Maid Marian (which she decided on being as soon as she found out what Jason was going as). Piper’s crush is obvious, and Jason shows all the discomfort typical of boys his age.

Leo has built himself a Transformer costume, which everyone admits is really, really cool, but it doesn’t help his attempts to pick up older girls because he’s eleven. (Esperanza thinks she might die from the embarrassment.)

Hazel is a vet this year, and Frank is a dog with a broken front leg, to match the cast he has on his left arm. (Frank is rather clumsy.) She spends the whole evening fussing over him, which means Frank is pretty much permanently pink the whole time. (The mothers are sure that it’s not just for the sake of being in character.)

The three mothers have decided that it’s no longer worth speculating on the inevitable.

==========

_2010_

This year, they are actually allowed to go trick-or-treating on their own, without their mothers, provided that they start before sunset and promise to keep an eye out for each other and look after Hazel. (Frank seems to take that particularly seriously.)

Percy is Aquaman, while Annabeth is Minerva, which she insists is a completely different goddess from Athena. This doesn’t stop Percy from teasing Wise Girl about dressing up as the same thing twice, which leads to the two of them bickering the whole time.

Jason is Fred from Scooby Doo on a dare from Leo, so Piper is obviously Daphne. She insists that they walk together and do everything together because it’s in-character, and while her rather obsessive crush makes him uncomfortable, he goes along with it because she’s still one of his best friends.

Leo is Iceman from X-Men because he’s heard that the older girl he fancies, Khione, likes cool guys. (Everyone is pretty sure he’s taking it far too literally.)  
Hazel is a witch, and Frank is her familiar, a grey cat. They spend the whole evening walking side-by-side, because Frank takes their duty to look after Hazel very, very seriously.

The three mothers piece together what happened from their children and spend far too long discussing it on the phone.

==========

_2011_

This year, they’ve finally all read the Harry Potter books, so they decide to go with a group theme for the first time ever: Hogwarts students.

Percy mopes for a little bit over not getting to be Aquaman, but since Annabeth (who adores Harry Potter) asks him nicely, he decides he’s happy to be a Gryffindor. (Annabeth says that despite his loyalty, he’s far too lazy to be a Hufflepuff.) Annabeth, of course, is a Ravenclaw.

Jason is a Gryffindor, while Piper is a Slytherin, and while that might have made her sad last year, she’s matured a fair bit. (There’s something romantic about inter-house relationships anyway.)

Leo’s a Ravenclaw because he’s a crazy genius (or so he insists), despite Piper’s insistence that he should be Seamus Finnegan because they obviously share pyromaniac tendencies. (Annabeth contradicts her, saying only movie-verse Seamus is a pyromaniac, and they’re strictly book-verse.)

Frank and Hazel are Hufflepuffs, because everyone agrees that they’re too sweet and loyal to be anything else. (Even if they’ve all realized lately that they’re both stronger and braver than they thought.)

Their mothers take a massive group photo, and may or may not have done some strategic posing of the kids.

==========

_2012_

This year, Piper, Jason, Leo, Frank and Hazel all wonder whether Percy and Annabeth would go trick-or-treating with them, because they’re in high school now. They shouldn’t have doubted their friends, because they do. (It’s tradition, and they’re all still best friends anyway.)

Percy is Aquaman, because missing one year was more than enough for him. Annabeth is Hillary Clinton, which has got to be the oddest Halloween costume ever, but she wears it proudly and Percy finds that very attractive.

Jason is a football player (he’s really keen on playing for Olympia High next year, even if he’s only going to be a freshman), and Piper is a cheerleader, and the tables are kind of turned, because this year, it’s Jason who’s doing more of the staring.

Leo is himself, because apparently, he’s Hot Stuff and a Super-Hot McShizzle, and there’s no point improving on perfection, and everyone just groans.

Frank and Hazel are Ralph and Vanellope from Wreck-it-Ralph, because even though the movie’s not out yet, everyone insists that it really, really suits them.  
Everyone, Annabeth included, thinks they look adorable.

Their mothers are starting to get a little impatient.

==========

_2013_

This year, they’ve got some new friends who go trick-or-treating with them. Nico, Hazel’s newfound half-brother (who keeps staring at Percy and Annabeth with pain in his eyes), has been dragged along by his sister, while Reyna, a new friend of Jason’s from high school, tags along too. (Piper isn’t exactly delighted by the prospect, because she knows that Reyna likes Jason, who is her boyfriend-yes, they finally got together-but she has come to respect the girl because she never shows it and doesn’t try to come between them.)

Percy is Aquaman and Annabeth must be feeling indulgent of her boyfriend (they finally, finally got together too, which elicited an about time from pretty much everyone), because she’s Wonder Woman.

Jason is John Smith and Piper is Pocahontas because of course they’re going to do a couple’s costume. They are together after all.

Leo is the Human Torch because he apparently wants to be literal Hot Stuff as well as figurative Hot Stuff. He spends half the time flirting with Amazon Queen Reyna, who actually manages to maintain an impassive and only slightly irritated expression throughout.

Hazel is an angel on the suggestion of her brother Nico (who is Hades) because she saved him and she is so, so good. Frank, who is Houyi, an archer from an Ancient Chinese legend, agrees wholeheartedly with that sentiment. He also thinks that Hazel looks really, really beautiful (not that she isn’t normally)- the white dress makes her skin look like cocoa.

Their mothers are exchanging high-fives because they totally called it first.

==========

_2014_

This year, it’s the Seven (apparently that’s what people call them) and Nico and Reyna (who have become really close friends somehow) who all go trick-or-treating together.

Percy is Aquaman and Annabeth a sailor so that they’re both kind of nautical/sea themed. (Piper privately thinks that it’s also so that Annabeth has an excuse to wear blue, because that’s Percy’s favourite colour, but of course the blond will never admit it.)

Jason and Piper are Romeo and Juliet because it’s her mother’s favourite love story, and for some reason, Jason is a little terrified of her mother, who is a ridiculous romantic, and a little obsessed with being sufficiently romantic for Piper. (Piper thinks it’s really cute, so she goes along with it.)

Leo is Gimli and Frank is Legolas because they managed to sort of bully/goad each other into it a few months back when they were competing over Hazel, just after Frank and Hazel started going out. (They’re good now, since Leo’s nowhere near cruel enough to actually come between two of his friends. It’s not as if he ever stood a chance anyway- even when Hazel was three she only had eyes for Frank. Anyway, Leo’s not infatuated with her anymore; not since he met that really hot but really infuriating girl, Calypso, who won’t take any of his shit. They’d be together by now if not for her stupidly over-protective parents who barely let her out of their yard and certainly won’t let her date. Still, she’d kissed him anyway, before they’d chased him off. He’s going to get her and rescue her from them. He swears.)

Hazel is an Elf to match Frank, and she can’t stop laughing because her boyfriend looks ridiculous in a long blond wig, and he’s got the completely wrong body shape to be Legolas, but she kisses him on the cheek in apology. 

Reyna, as a far less sexualised Xena the Warrior Princess, keeps shooting Nico concerned looks. The boy dressed as the Grim Reaper (he has a weird thing with death) keeps glancing at Percy and Annabeth with immense pain in his eyes. Everyone thinks that’s because he has a crush on Annabeth. Only Jason and Reyna know the truth. (He can’t bring himself to tell Hazel just yet.)

The mothers are delighted, because three out of three!

==========

_2015_

This is going to be the last year that they all go trick-or-treating together, because next year, Percy and Annabeth are off to college and they won’t be home for Halloween, so they’re all determined to make the most of it. This year, they’re joined by Will Solace, a ‘friend’ of Nico’s (though everyone’s pretty sure he’s something more since Nico came out to them a few months back), and Calpyso, Leo’s girlfriend. 

Percy, of course, is Aquaman, while Annabeth (after much pleading from Percy) is Mera.

Jason and Piper are actually Phoebus and Esmeralda this time, which has resulted in a lot of reminiscing about the last time they were sort-of the couple.

Hazel is a princess, while Frank is a frog. Leo teases him continuously about being whipped, but as he’s actually washed, combed and styled his hair neatly because Calypso asked, the Chinese-Canadian has a perfect comeback.

Calypso and Leo are an Ancient Greek couple because Calypso, like Annabeth, has a bit of a thing for Ancient Greece. This is her first Halloween, which Leo thinks is simply unacceptable (she’s missed out on so much because of her ridiculous parents) and he’s doing everything he can to make up for lost time for her.

Reyna is an FBI Agent, while Nico is a zombie and his ‘friend’ Will is a doctor. (They insist that their costumes all fit a theme, but everyone’s just confused as to how.)

The mothers are so, so happy, because it seems like everything’s worked out for their kids. 

==========

_Beyond 2015_

Their Halloween tradition still continues, though, despite the fact that they’re soon flung all over the USA attending different colleges.

They don’t usually manage to get together, not the whole gang at least, but every year, they all make a point to dress up for Halloween and send around the pictures. 

They make a point to stay in touch and stay best friends, or, as they think of it, family.

But somehow (maybe it’s fate), they eventually all end up living close enough to one another that they can get together for Halloween. 

They’re all there to watch Leo propose to Calypso. 

They’re all there (well, except for Hazel, who is 8 months pregnant and Frank who refuses to leave her side because of said pregnancy) to watch Percy and Annabeth and Jason and Piper’s three-year-olds go trick-or-treating for the very first time.

They’re all there to see Nico and Will get married. (Halloween is an odd day to get married, but they were never really conventional to begin with.)

They’re all there to try and set up Reyna with a different guy every single year, despite the fact that she’s perfectly happy single. (She’s not lonely, not when she has such great friends.)

They’re all together. 

(And not just for Halloween.)


	2. Boyband

Sons of the Gods is the biggest boyband on the planet. The five young men that make up the band are obsessed over by young and not-so-young girls all over the world. 

There’s Percy Jackson, lead singer. (The silly one.) 

Jason Grace, lead guitarist. (The perfect one.)

Nico di Angelo, keyboard. (The mysterious one.)

Frank Zhang, bass guitar. (The adorable one.)

And then there’s me, the super-hot McShizzle, also known as Leo Valdez, drums. (Or the funny one to those teen girls’ magazines.)

Right now, we’re the hottest thing since sliced bread and we’ve got a whole legion of adoring fans. They can’t get enough of us. (Which surprises me sometimes.) They can’t get enough of me either. (Hey, I’m hot stuff.)

But that wasn’t _always_ the case. 

The very first time we all played together was in the di Angelos’ garage, and we had an audience of zero.

Percy was a Senior, Jason, Frank and I were Juniors, and Nico was a Sophomore. 

We had managed to cajole a very, very reluctant Nico into playing keyboard for us, because after being a band for two months, Percy, Jason, Frank and I had realized that we really needed a keyboard. Nico went to our high school, seemed nice enough (or at least according to the others he was- _I_ was convinced that Death Boy was a wannabe serial killer at that stage), and we knew he played the piano well.

Since his dad was away, we’d also managed to cajole him into letting us use his garage for practice.

About halfway through the rehearsal, a really cute girl with cinnamon curls, dark skin and golden eyes walked in. She listened to the rest of our rehearsal, and clapped and cheered after every song.

Turned out her name was Hazel, and she was Nico’s half-sister. (Same father, different mothers. Really messed up family. We all have freaking complicated families, actually, and shitty fathers. Maybe that’s why we all get along so well. And it makes the band name really freaking ironic.)

That night, I witnessed the weirdest thing I’d seen in my seventeen years. 

Nico didn’t know whether he actually wanted to join the band or not. Obviously, we all wanted him to, because despite the serial-killer vibe, he was a really awesome keyboardist and he made us sound even more awesome than we already were. 

But Hazel pulled him aside, talked to him for a few minutes, and next minute _he’s kissing her on the forehead_ (Nico ‘don’t touch me’ di Angelo was kissing her on the forehead!) and agreeing to join the band.

We all stood there and stared at her in awe.

Then she noticed all of our junk food (including the love of my life, Fonzies- wait, don’t tell the girls that. Or Festus.), wrinkled her nose and declared that it would kill us.

(No it wouldn’t have, with all those preservatives, we’d have lived forever!)

She then proceeded to make us the most delicious gumbo I’ve ever had in my life (seriously, I’ve actually been to New Orleans, and no gumbo there beats Hazel’s gumbo) and some really kickass brownies. 

We probably all fell a little in love with Hazel that night. 

Well, except Nico, cause that’d be gross, and Percy, who was already head-over-heels for Annabeth, who’d been his friend since he started high school (according to him) and since Sophomore year (according to her), and Jason, because she was only fourteen years old and Jason is proper and perfect and a stickler for the rules.   
Okay, Frank and I both fell a little in love with Miss Hazel Levesque that night.

But she seemed to have taken a liking to Frank, because next thing they’ve become best friends, she’s told him her tragic backstory and they’re blushing when their hands touch.

I probably never had a chance (against _Frank_ , really? The human teddy bear? Who looks like a toddler on steroids who joined the Marines? And is the biggest klutz I’ve ever met? Well, he’s also the nicest guy I’ve ever met, and once he’d finished his growth spurt...But my manly ego took a hit, okay?), but in the end, I didn’t mind at all. (Hey, being single and famous is great! Okay, well, I suppose it’d be nice to have what the others have sometimes and not feel like a seventh wheel...getting off topic here, Valdez. Stay on topic. Damn you, ADHD.)

But I’m happy for them, I really am.

Fast forward a few years, and we’re all at college together.

The band took a bit of a hit while we were all split up, some of us at college, some still in high school, but we found our mojo again pretty quickly.

Frank and Hazel and Percy and Annabeth were still together and going strong.

We actually started making it (we were, like, playing gigs every couple of nights, which was pretty freaking incredible for a band that started in a garage), and ended up with a manager. (Reyna, who was Jason’s best friend. It got messy for a while because she had unrequited feelings for him- I so felt her pain, but she wasn’t interested in me for some reason- but it’s all good now.)

Somehow (okay, not somehow, but you can read it in the tabloids or on our Wikipedia page and it’s kind of boring to explain) we made it to the big time, and we all put college on hold for fame and fortune.

And now we’re the biggest boyband on the planet. Rich, successful, famous and popular.

We’re currently being interviewed live on TV...and oh, crap, I’ve gone and zoned out during the interview. Reyna’s going to be pissed.

What in the hell are they asking us about?

-

The presenter, an overly preppy young woman, leans closer to the five young men, smiling in a way that is a little too predatory for Leo’s taste.

‘So...onto the topic that holds the attention of millions of your fans all over the world. Have you boys got any special ladies in your lives?’

(They’ve been asked this question a _million_ times, surely everyone knows the answers they give by now, but it seems the media vultures are holding onto the idea that they might reveal a little more each time, or some drama might happen or something. Leo doesn’t really get it.)

The presenter focuses on Jason.

‘Jason, is there any truth to the rumours about you and the actress Piper McLean?’

(Well, Leo takes it back. This is new. Jason and Piper have been together for a year, but Piper’s really good at being sneaky and avoiding the media, since her dad’s a famous actor too. Leo wonders whether they actually slipped up or have decided to go public.)

Jason smiles his perfect blond Superman smile.

‘Yes, there is, Lacy. Piper and I are very happy together, but I’m afraid you’re not getting any more details out of me!’

Lacy pouts, but turns to her next victim, Percy.

‘And you, Percy?’

Percy grins and shakes his head.

‘I’ve said it a million times, Lacy, but I’ll say it again. I’ve got a very special lady out there. Hi Wise Girl, Seaweed Brain here! Look, I’m on TV!’

The other four band members, even Nico, all roll their eyes, because Percy’s so getting it from Annabeth (an architect) for that last phrase. _Look I’m on TV?_ Sometimes they really think he does have kelp for brains.

Lacy turns to Frank next, and somehow, the guy still gets flustered even though they’re not exactly new to the fame game.

‘I’ve got an absolutely amazing girlfriend, and I love her very much...but we prefer to keep our relationship private, so everyone, _please_ respect our privacy.’  
He gives the cameras and the studio audience an adorable pleading look (sometimes, Leo swears, Frank can actually turn his eyes into puppy dog eyes), and they all know that everyone will actually listen, because everyone loves Frank. Besides, he and Hazel are really good at keeping their relationship private. It probably helps that their favourite date nights include watching movies at home, cooking and eating dinner together, playing board games and visiting those ridiculously obscure bookstore cafes. And it definitely helps that Nico, who is seriously sneaky (it’s like the guy can melt into the shadows or something), is incredibly determined to keep his medical student sister out of the limelight.

Lacy turns to Leo next, and he shoots her his trademark manic grin.

‘Nah, I’m single and ready to mingle, Lacy.’ He flings out his arms and winks. ‘Besides, if I were to pick just one girl, I’d disappoint so many ladies, and this piece of hot stuff can’t bear that thought!’

(It hasn’t fooled his band-mates for years, but it’s fooled dozens of interviewers and millions of fans.)

Nico is Lacy’s last victim.

The other four make a conscious effort to not shoot a glance at Nico, but inside, they’re all wondering if this is going to be the day. 

(Nico had come out to them a couple of years back, but he was definitely not publically out.)

The keyboardist took a deep breath.

‘No, Lacy, I haven’t got a special girl out there... But I’ve got a very special guy...and he’s actually right here.’

Nico’s boyfriend, Will Solace, a freshly-graduated doctor, takes that as his cue to stand up from his seat in the studio audience. (They hadn’t noticed him before, so Nico must have actually planned this out really well, the sneaky bastard.) 

Everyone else is silent and stunned for a while. Some of Nico’s fangirls faint. 

Then applause starts to applaud, led by the other Sons of the Gods members, and Nico’s face slowly breaks into a grin as Will Solace practically beams. 

(He seems to be restraining himself from running onto the stage and kissing Nico, which is probably good since Nico hates PDA and the media would have a field day if he did.)

Lacy, who is still as shocked as the studio audience, smiles at Nico before turning to the cameras.

‘Well, it appears that Nico di Angelo is not only an excellent keyboardist, and an incredible songwriter, but he’s also a very brave man! That was Sons of the Gods!’

She signs off, and Leo, Frank, Jason and Percy jump up and start congratulating Nico.

-

Leo hums to himself as he walks down the corridor, a can of Coke in hand. 

This interview had been a really, really good one. 

Nico had come out of the closet, to a warm reception. 

That meant his angst would probably tone done. That meant they didn’t have to deal with his crazy need for secrecy, and Will and Nico’s mutual moping at having to hide their relationship.

It also meant that they’d have at least one really great song for their next album. Nico had written an awesome song about his struggle with his sexuality. Leo didn’t say this very often, but it really, really touched his heart. Genuinely, honest to God, it did. That meant they would probably go with a more ballad-y, emotional tone to their next album, which would mean less for him to do, but then they could also include a lot of the really sappy stuff that Frank, who along with Nico was their best songwriter, had written. It was mostly about Hazel, which Nico only allowed because it was Frank and it was just gushingly sweet, with nothing inappropriate, but there was one about his mom too.

Leo is so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn’t watch where he is going. Thus, he finds himself walking straight into someone, and spilling Coke all over her white shirt.

He blinks.

His first thought is that she was really hot, with her cinnamon hair and milky skin.

His second thought is crap, because he’s just spilt Coke over not just any girl, but Calypso, the hottest pop star of the last year and a half. 

And she _does not_ look happy.


	3. Fantasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a LONG chapter. You have been warned.

Jason, the 20-year-old Crown Prince of the vast kingdom of Romana, sat in a courtyard in the palace, gazing over Rome, the capital city.

He sighed, fiddling with the finely worked, yet deceptively strong, blue feather charm around his neck. It had been a gift from his beloved; the blue feather was her symbol. Piper was an Elf, a princess of the Elven kingdom of Olympia, which was located between, but wholly independent of, Romana and the smaller neighbouring kingdom of Athenia. They had had three wonderful years together, while he trained with the Elves and learnt their ways, but as of 6 months prior, he’d had to return to Romana to fulfil his duties as the Crown Prince. They had pledged their troth before he departed, but he was only allowed to wed her, by order of her mother Aphrodite, when he built a bridge of friendship between Romana and Athenia.

Romana and Athenia had once been at war, but over time, the conflict had reduced. Now, the two kingdoms lived in relative peace, with no hostilities for over twenty years. But there was little contact between the two, at least between the royals and the nobles, between whom there was still much resentment and bitterness. The common people, however, traded with one another, and many near the border were said to have developed friendships and even wed.

Still, the prospects of a friendship developing were immensely slim.

Jason had a difficult task ahead of him in order to wed his bride.

But Piper was worth the toil. She was. He knew he would never find another that he loved as much as he loved her, and he knew he would never find another who loved him as she did. (She had already pledged to give up her immortality, to choose a mortal life, in order to remain by his side forevermore.)

‘You do no good by pining, Jason.’

A familiar voice spoke from behind him.

The Lady Reyna. A childhood friend of Jason’s, and a strong woman who both played court politics and fought with ease. She had long been viewed as a favourable match for the Crown Prince, and she herself had regarded them as a good match indeed, but since his return, when he informed her of his feelings for Princess Piper, she had supported him wholeheartedly. (Though, he suspected, it had caused her great sorrow to do so.)

‘We have brought refreshments, my lord. Would you care to join us for a light meal?’

This voice was younger and softer, and it belonged to Lady Hazel, the daughter of Lord Hades, and his wife, Lady Marie, who had taken her own life when her daughter was 13, due to bitterness over her husband’s infidelity and acceptance of the two children a peasant woman, Maria, had borne him.

Jason was incapable of turning down the company of one of his oldest friends and the girl he considered his younger sister, so he left his perch and joined the two ladies in a light meal and conversation.

They spoke for a while.

‘Have you any news from the Rangers stationed near the border with Athenia?’

Jason was confused for a moment at Hazel’s question regarding the elite archers and scouts. This sort of question he expected from Reyna, but not from the seventeen-year-old. Frankly, no, he did not expect this sort of question from Reyna- the lady had many friends and contacts among the men-at-arms, the Rangers and the Knights, and was more than capable of discovering what she wished to know herself. He recalled Hazel, who detested court politics, as being far more interested in drawing, riding and learning the healing arts.

Then he recalled her dancing with a young Ranger lieutenant, Lord Frank, aged 20, son of Lord Mars, the King’s most distinguished general, at a ball not long ago. They had apparently become fond of each other while he had been away, and that likely explained her newfound interest. Jason was happy; Lord Frank was a good and gentle man who would treat Hazel with the upmost respect.

Jason shook his head.

‘I am sorry, Hazel, but I have not.’ He smiled fondly at her. ‘Though, I am sure that your beau is well, for we would have heard if harm had befallen Lord Mars’ son.’

Hazel blushed, and fanned her face.

‘He is not my beau, Jason. We are not courting.’

Reyna gave an unladylike snort.

‘Yet. He will speak to your father soon, and before long, you will find yourself wed and with child.’

Jason was startled by the bitterness in Reyna’s tone. She had not been so opposed to marriage before he left for Olympia. But then...she _had_ expected to wed him.

Guilt gnawed at him for a moment, but faded. He could not love Reyna, not in the way he loved Piper. They may have been content, even happy, to be wed if he had not known the Elf, but now, he could not bear the thought of wedding another. He would do all he could to ensure her happiness, except wed her himself. That was the best he could do for her.

Hazel blushed more, and fanned her face harder.

‘I do not find that unfavourable, Reyna.’ Her voice grew softer. ‘I will have more freedom as Frank’s wife than I do currently. He wishes me to pursue whatever I desire, although he does not look favourably upon me taking up arms and joining his Rangers!’

Hazel laughed, as did Jason, while Reyna smiled.

The younger lady looked earnestly at the older pair.

‘If we wed, I could be a healer, and I have always loved children, Reyna.’

The older lady smiled gently at her, nodding.

‘Motherhood and a career as a healer _would_ become you.’

Jason allowed himself to grin.

‘You and Lord Frank have certainly given the notion of your marriage much thought, Hazel. I would think that the announcement would have been made by now!’

Hazel flushed intensely yet again, and fanning her face, replied.

‘We do not wish to rush things...and once we formally commence courting, we shall have to adhere to so many rules and traditions! Whereas currently, with my family circumstances the way they are, we can have more time alone to talk.’

That was true. With Hazel’s mother deceased, her being an only child, and her father completely inattentive, Hazel and Frank would be able to spend far more time alone than would typically be possible for an unwed man and woman who were not courting. But once formal courting commenced, while that tended to allow more unchaperoned time for an ordinary couple, there would be traditions and rules to follow. Were it any man but Frank, Jason would likely protest this arrangement and seek to change it, but he had no doubts that they were doing anything together beyond talking and potentially some hand-holding.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by a man’s voice.

‘My lord Jason, Lady Reyna, Lady Hazel, my apologies.’ A servant entered the courtyard. ‘King Zeus requires the presence of my lord in his study, immediately.’

Jason sighed, and stood.

What did his father want now?

-

‘My lord king.’

Jason bowed to his father.

‘Jason.’

His father gestured for him to sit.

Jason suppressed a sigh.

It was at times like these, when he had to spend time with his father and do whatever the man demanded of him, that he wished he could be like his older sister, Princess Thalia. Thalia was fiercely independent, and travelled frequently between the kingdoms, practically refusing all contact with her father and most of the nobility. (Though, she always made time for Jason, the scandalously unmarried Lady Artemis, and other friends such as Reyna and Hazel.) Unfortunately for Jason, as Crown Prince, he could not possibly live as she did. Besides, he had always been the more conventional of the two; he lacked his sister’s rebellious spirit.

His father spoke first, of course.

‘King Poseidon of Athenia has died. His son, Perseus, is now king, at only 21.’

Jason concealed his surprise. Last he had heard, King Poseidon of Athenia was a strong and healthy man.

But that was the nature of life. Occasionally, people passed in their prime through no circumstances but chance.

‘My son, you are to attend his coronation, to extend the olive branch of peace, and to keep an eye on the situation.’

‘Of course, my lord.’

His father nodded.

‘You depart tomorrow.’

The king turned away. Jason, realizing he had been dismissed, left the study.

He recalled what little he knew of Perseus.

The Lady Calypso, Piper's sister, had mentioned him as a hero she had once healed and cared for in Olympia, who had departed mere months before Jason’s arrival. He was a noble and loyal man, who cared deeply for his kingdom and his friends. He had turned down a life of comfort and safety with Calypso, leaving as soon as he was well again to return to his kingdom and a woman Calypso described with bitterness as his Annabeth.

All in all, Jason believed that it was entirely possible that he and Perseus could be friends. And if they could be friends, perhaps there was a hope for friendship between their kingdoms.

And hope for him and Piper.

-

Indeed, Jason found, he and King Perseus were certainly able to be friends. The King, who insisted that Jason address him as Percy, was amenable and kind. Jason could see he would be a good king for his people, though, he had confided in him, he much preferred to lead his men in defence of his kingdom than sit in court and listen to his advisors.

He was not a King who desired power or rule, and that made Jason far more confident of his good character.

Although, in all honesty, he and the King had not been instant friends, in fact, his first feelings for the man were downright hostile, as were Percy’s first thoughts of him.

Jason had arrived in Athenia, expecting to be introduced to and welcomed by the new King.

Instead, he had found himself being introduced to Queen Sally, the King’s mother, as apparently, her son refused to meet with the Crown Prince of Romana, believing him to be stuck-up and pampered.

Fuming at the insult (mostly internally of course, he only allowed himself to appear slightly irritated and suitably offended outwardly), Jason had stormed around Athens, the capital of Athenia, until he encountered Athenian Knights sparring with some of his, the men having already formed friendships.

Donning a face-covering helmet to conceal his identity from the Athenians and ordering his men not to reveal his status, he found himself sparring with a man similarly attired.

The moment could only have been determined by the Fates, for it turned out that the man, with whom he was evenly matched in the combat arts, was none other than King Perseus.

Safe to say, after a long sparring match and a few quick words, all animosity was forgotten, and the foundations for a strong friendship between the two royals were laid.

Hence, Jason found himself seated beside Percy at the high table during his coronation feast. The King had gone out of his way to make Jason welcome in his home, and Jason was delighted to discover that Athenians placed far less value on formality and etiquette than the people of Romana.

During the dinner, Jason noticed Percy frequently glancing at a beautiful young woman with blond curls and grey eyes, who was seated between the Captain of Percy’s guards and his friend from childhood, Grover, and Jason’s own Captain, Bobby.

‘Who is the lady?’

Percy smiled at him.

‘That is Lady Annabeth, my childhood friend and beloved.’

So that was the Annabeth that Calypso spoke so bitterly of.

Jason caught sadness in his voice that was so familiar to him.

‘You are not betrothed? I would think, that was a new king, there would be much pressure from your advisors to marry and produce an heir.’

Percy nodded.

‘Indeed there is, although, as I have a younger brother, it is not as much as it could be.’

Jason looked confused. No-one had introduced or even mentioned another Prince to him. He did not see any man or boy at the feast who could be Percy’s brother.

Percy lowered his voice.

‘My brother, Tyson, is a good young man with a kind heart, but he was born simple. He despises these occasions, feeling far more at home in the forge, so I do not force him to attend and neither does my mother. I assure you, however, I am not ashamed of him, simply concerned for his welfare.’

Percy sighed.

‘Returning to the topic of Lady Annabeth, no, we are not betrothed, for her family, or rather, her mother, will not give their blessing due to an ancient grudge between her family and mine. In fact, Lady Athena, as one of my senior advisors, is determined to ensure that I marry near any woman except her daughter!’

Percy and Jason shared a laugh tinged with bitterness, before Percy continued.

‘The people of Athenia would have us marry, for she will be an excellent Queen. She is strong and capable, both a consummate warrior and negotiator of courtly politics.’ He grinned, and gestured towards the Lady, who appeared to be engaged in a discussion on battle strategy with Bobby. ‘She is also an excellent strategist and an important advisor to me.’ Percy’s grin grew wider. ‘I would warn your man; he may find himself revealing far more on Roman battle strategy than he should. She is very cunning!’

Jason laughed.

Women had a different status in Athenian society compared to Roman society. It was not unusual for Athenian women to be capable fighters, while few Roman women ever learnt the warrior arts. (Reyna and Thalia may have, as had the Lady Artemis, but they were stubborn and had fought tooth and nail for the right. Besides, as noble ladies, there was the argument that the ability to defend themselves from kidnapping or assassination was important.) Athenia, as a smaller and weaker kingdom, suffered more from the Orc scourge, and as such, its women had to be able to defend themselves, their families and their land. It was also not unusual for a capable noblewoman to be an advisor to a king or a lord, and a King’s wife or a Lord’s wife was expected to be able to assist and advise him.

The Lady Annabeth reminded Jason of Reyna; the two women would likely become fast friends if they were ever to make each other’s acquaintance.

Percy’s situation was also not terribly different from his, and Jason’s feelings of fellowship for the man increased.

‘I feel much sympathy for you, Percy. I too, have a beloved whom I cannot marry yet, the Elven Princess of Olympia, Piper. Perhaps you met her during your time in Olympia. I have been informed that you did make the acquaintance of her sister, Princess Calypso.’

Percy sighed at the mention of Calypso.

‘I felt immense guilt for leaving her, for she seemed to care for me very much. I daresay she may have fallen in love with me, but I could not stay. I had to return to my duty, my kingdom and...’ He glanced at Lady Annabeth. ‘...My love.’

Jason nodded in understanding.

‘It will calm your heart to know that she has not faded in sorrow. She remains alive, as immortal and unchanging as ever.’

Percy nodded, far more calmed.

‘I am glad to hear that. But you say, you cannot marry your beloved _yet_? When can you wed?’

Jason smiled wryly.

‘That brings us to the main reason for my visit. We may wed when I have built a bridge of friendship between our two kingdoms. Hence, I have come to discuss how such a friendship may be built.’

(Perhaps that was not the exact orders his father had given him, but friendship between the two kingdoms would benefit both parties. Besides, there was not a large difference between true peace and friendship. Perhaps Jason had been imbued with some of Thalia’s spirit.)

‘Friendship with Romana is certainly desired by Athenia, but it will not be possible without the return of the Athena Parthenos.’ At Jason’s confused expression, he continued. ‘The Athena Parthenos is a small statue, perhaps half the size of a man, that was stolen many, many years ago by Romana during the last war. It is the greatest treasure of Athenia; without its return, friendship would be impossible.’

‘And its return would bring friendship?’

Percy nodded thoughtfully.

‘It would at least be a very strong start.’ A slow smile grew across his face. ‘And if it were to be returned by an important Roman, say, the Crown Prince, assisted by an important Athenian, say the King...friendship would be a near certainty.’

Jason smiled.

He liked the way Percy thought.

He had yearned for freedom, for adventure, after all.

‘I have never heard of the Athena Parthenos, but if it was taken by my kingdom, it would most probably be in Rome. Our librarians and historians are very experienced and clever, and a close friend of mine has many contacts among many people. We should be able to locate it.’

Percy clapped him on the shoulder.

‘Then it is settled. We ride for Rome tomorrow!’

Jason’s thoughts fell suddenly from the clouds.

‘Can you leave your kingdom without a king for a quest?’

Percy nodded firmly.

‘Yes, I can, particularly when such a quest is so vital to our future.’ He seemed to debate whether to reveal something to Jason for a moment. ‘Athenia is not as strong as we would like. The Orcs have been growing bolder, and many of my people have lost their lives and livelihoods. We cannot continue to suffer like this, and we will need the assistance of a strong ally.’ Percy’s countenance brightened. ‘Besides, my mother, with the assistance of Lady Athena, Annabeth, and Grover, can certainly rule in my absence, and I _do_ have an heir after all. Though, we may need some time to prepare.’

Jason nodded slowly.

‘Then perhaps we depart not tomorrow, but the morning after?’

Percy nodded in agreement, and the two royals clasped hands.

Percy raised a goblet.

‘To friendship between our kingdoms.’

Jason echoed him, raising his own goblet.

‘And to the triumph of love over all else.’

They shared a look of understanding.

Friendship between their kingdoms may be yet to come, but a strong friendship between these two young royals had certainly been created.

-

Jason and Percy, mounted on their horses Tempest and Blackjack respectively, with everything they needed for the quest, rode out of Athens at first light.

They travelled without an escort of any kind, Jason having ordered his men to remain in Athenia and assist in the defence against the Orcs as a gesture of peace and friendship and as a guarantee that no harm would befall their King in Romana and Percy unwilling to remove any of his men from the defence of his kingdom.

It was perhaps irresponsible, but they were both excellent warriors, and young and a little foolhardy.

Jason had already sent a message by eagle to his father, the very night of the coronation feast, and had unexpectedly received a reply minutes before they set out, with his father’s full approval.

(Jason was surprised, he expected his father to be more stubborn about it, but his father had mentioned that friendship with Athenia would indeed be favourable. He had seemed preoccupied in the letter, but Jason did not fret too much about it. While his skills as a father were lacking, he was a capable king.)

As they rode out of Athens, a voice called to them. Hoof-beats sounded behind them.

‘I am coming with you!’

Lady Annabeth, dressed in a long tunic, leggings and light armour, like the two royals, with her hair pulled up and concealed by a helmet, mounted on a grey horse, rode up to the two. By her side, hung a shield, a sword and a dagger, along with other supplies.

Percy opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off.

‘You cannot possibly go alone, Percy! Nor you, Prince Jason. You cannot spare any men from the defences, but I can be spared. Your mother, Percy, and mine and all the advisors can rule perfectly capably with or without me.’ She affixed Percy with a stern look. ‘You, on the other hand, Seaweed Brain, will get yourself killed without me, without an heir to boot!’

Percy opened his mouth, but she cut him off yet again.

‘And Tyson does not count, Seaweed Brain, you know he cannot possibly rule!’

Jason rubbed the scar above his lip thoughtfully.

‘She raises valid points, Percy. And three is a good number for a quest. One extra person will not draw much attention, but will be invaluable in combat and in keeping watch.’

Annabeth looked resolutely at the two men.

‘You know I can help you.’

Finally, Percy sighed.

‘Fine, Wise Girl, you can come. Besides, I suppose even if I do not approve, you will come anyway.’

She smirked, and whispered conspiratorially to Jason.

‘I have trained him well.’

Jason smiled.

‘Indeed you have.’

Percy snorted.

‘She has even trained me to respond to a childhood nickname, even though it does not befit my dignity as a king.’

Annabeth rolled her eyes affectionately.

‘What dignity?’

-

The trio entered the small village’s smithy.

They were close to the border with Romana, about three days’ ride in the current horrible weather conditions. And, Jason noted, they would soon pass only half a day’s ride from Olympia. But he could not go pay a visit to Piper, as much as he wanted to. He had a duty to fulfil. Besides, the sooner he returned the Athena Parthenos, the sooner they could wed.

The smithy was mostly dark, until with a whoosh, a bright spurt of flame appeared practically out of nowhere.

An unusually short, scrawny young man with dark curly hair holding a large hammer was revealed.

‘Greetings, strangers, and welcome to Leo’s Smithy, home of the best and handsomest blacksmith in the three kingdoms, yours truly!’

He spread his arms dramatically, a manic grin on his face.

The trio eyed him warily. Thankfully, he did not seem to recognize any of them.

Jason stepped forward.

‘We require your services, Master Leo. My sword and one of my companion’s swords were damaged in a battle with Orcs, and they require repair.’

Leo nodded, before stepping closer and staring at Jason, muttering under his breath.

‘I’ve seen those eyes somewhere...’ They all stiffened. Had he recognized Jason? If he had, that could be trouble, for they were attempting to travel incognito, after all. ‘Would you, perchance, have a very beautiful sister?’

They let out a breath they had all been holding.

Jason nodded.

‘Yes, I do. Thalia. She travels frequently and may well have stopped by your humble village.’

Leo grinned.

‘Yes, we are known to one another. She is a very special woman indeed.’ He sighed. ‘Unfortunately, she has no interest in blacksmiths, no matter how good a smith they are.’ He shrugged. ‘Ah well, there are many ladies out there who are!’

Jason was not so sure about the truth of that statement, so he simply handed his sword, Ivlivs, and Percy’s sword, Riptide, to Leo.

Leo took the two swords, staring at them in awe.

‘These are...this is Riptide, the sword of the kings of Athenia...and this is Ivlivs, of the royal house of Romana, if I am not mistaken...’

He looked up at the trio.

‘Unless the swords have been stolen, which I strongly doubt, then you are-‘

Annabeth reached out and clapped a hand over his mouth.

‘Do not speak another word, Master Leo.’

Her dagger was clutched in her hand.

He nodded obediently, putting down the swords and raising his hands.

‘Of course, my lady.’

Jason frowned at him.

‘How can you recognise the swords on sight? There are few Men who can, even among smiths.’

Leo grinned, but there was a hint of bitterness behind it.

‘I am not a Man, at least not wholly. My grandfather was a Dwarf, and the swords are Dwarven-made. Even among Dwarves, they are legendary. My grandfather taught me the art of the forge, and all the old legends and tales.’

Ah, Jason thought, that explained his height and hinted that his joking demeanour concealed much grief. As a quarter-Dwarf, he would suffer much discrimination.

Knowing that Leo was no spy or thief who had stolen from the secret records of either kingdom, he relaxed.

Leo recognized this. The smith picked up his hammer again, and gestured towards a bench in the corner.

‘Now, sit, and allow me to do my work.’

-

As they rode on towards Romana, the trio had become a group of four.

Leo had insisted on joining them, leaving his smithy to his apprentice Harley.

Considering that there were far more Orcs roaming the land than they had evidently expected, they needed another warrior with them. Apparently, not only had his Dwarvish grandfather taught him the art of blacksmithing, he had also taught him to fight like a Dwarvish blacksmith- with a hammer.

They may also have need for a blacksmith while questing, he had said. At Annabeth’s incredulity regarding his ability to smith while on the road, he had simply declared that Dwarves could smith anywhere. When she had responded that he was only a quarter-Dwarf, he had said that while that may be true, he was a _Dwarvish_ smith, through and through.

Besides, Leo had declared with an impish grin, he’d always wanted an adventure (ladies _loved_ an adventurer), and Harley was due for his trial by fire.

And so, the quest of three became a quest of four.

-

They were almost half a day’s ride from Olympia (the thought made Jason’s heart ache) when it happened.

Blinded and deafened by the pouring rain, they had not noticed any sign of an Orc ambush until it was too late.

And now, their new friend and companion Leo was gravely wounded.

As Percy dispatched the last Orc and checked for survivors (always wise), Jason and Annabeth examined the blacksmith.

Carefully and tenderly they extracted the Orc blade. Annabeth examined it, squinting in an attempt to see clearly, while Jason examined the wound.

Leo was unconscious but breathing.

‘The wound is deep.’

Annabeth nodded gravely.

‘And if it does not kill him, the poison surely will.’

‘The blade is poisoned?’

‘I am sure of it.’

Jason took a deep breath.

‘We are half a day’s ride from Olympia, perhaps less if we ride fast and the weather improves. We can bind and treat the wound as best as we can now, and ride with haste for Olympia. Elvish medicine may give him a chance.’

Annabeth wrinkled her nose.

‘Will the Elves help us? Percy is not on the best terms with their Princess...’

Jason smiled wanly.

‘They are good by nature; they will not turn away a dying man. And I am on excellent terms with their other Princess.’

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

‘You did not mention that your Elvish betrothed was a Princess.’

Jason’s smile grew fonder, despite the grave situation.

‘You will see why Princess is not at the core of her identity when you meet her!’

Annabeth signalled to Percy and explained the plan, while Jason secured Leo safety to his horse, Festus.

They rode like the wind.

As they did, Leo grew paler.

Their faces grew more ashen as he did.

-

‘I do not think that she is happy that we are here.’

Percy turned to Jason as they shared a delicious dinner prepared by the Elves.

As soon as they’d heard that Leo would survive, they had allowed themselves to be lead away from the infirmary. Piper had kindly offered to guide Annabeth, who, unlike Percy and Jason, had never been to Olympia, around, and the other woman had accepted. (She had an interest in buildings.)

‘She seemed to be delighted by the architecture.’

Percy laughed.

‘Yes, she would be. But I do not think that she is happy that we, or rather, I, have returned here, to the home of Princess Calypso.’

Jason swallowed his mouthful of bread.

‘I have seen the way you look at her. She should not fear.’

Percy nodded.

‘And she knows that, in her rational mind, and in her heart. But understand, the time during which I was here was difficult for her, and I believe it natural to have some doubts.’

Jason nodded sagely.

‘That is true.’ He gestured with his head to a returning Piper and Annabeth. ‘Go reassure her.’

Percy grinned.

‘Oh, that I will.’

He stood, taking a portion of the food, and led his beloved away to a smaller courtyard adjacent to the one they were in.

‘They are a good pair.’

Piper’s voice was ageless in its beauty and wisdom, as were the voices of all of her people.

Jason smiled at her as she sat down beside him, the choppy braids that she stubbornly insisted upon, against all tradition, brushing against his shoulder.

‘Indeed they are.’

She nodded.

‘They will have what they desire. Her mother will allow it.’

He did not ask how she knew; Elves were blessed with a sort of foresight that mortals lacked.

Piper placed one hand on his shoulder, the other hand reaching up to play with his blue feather necklace.

‘You are troubled, my love. What ails you?’

Jason sighed, placing one hand over hers on his chest, just above his heart.

‘It is recent, for I have had little time for thinking or dwelling of late. But last I heard from my father, when I departed Athens, he seemed preoccupied. Troubled. And now I begin to get a feeling of foreboding, as if something terrible is to come to pass...’

She nodded sagely.

‘I, too, have felt it. I do not know precisely what is coming to pass, for predicting the future is imprecise and rarely informs you what you truly need to know, but I fear that something terrible is coming upon your kingdom, and perhaps all of us.’

Jason looked down, squeezing her hand for comfort.

Piper stretched up and kissed him softly on the lips.

‘Do not fret, my love. Worry does not solve any troubles, and often makes them worse. Rest now; rest a full day and night, here, with me. Then you can face your troubles with strength and vigour.’

He smiled at her, and bent down to kiss her, placing a hand gently on the edge of her face.

With her, he felt his worries fade, at least for a time.

-

A full day and night later, Piper stood before Percy, Annabeth and Jason, who were rested and newly-provisioned for their journey onwards.

Piper smiled and held out a silver coin.

‘This will guide you to the Athena Parthenos in Rome.’ She handed it to Annabeth. ‘However, it can only be read by the descendents of the woman for which the Athena Parthenos itself and Athenia are named.’ The Elf locked eyes with the other woman. ‘Your mother was named for her ancestor.’

Annabeth nodded. She had been taught the history of her family, and knew it as well as she knew her own name.

‘And this coin will guide me to the statute.’

Piper nodded.

‘It will.’ She addressed all three of them. ‘Your friend Leo shall be safe with us. His recovery is progressing, and he will be under the watchful care of my sister.’ A very un-Elf-like grin crossed her face. ‘I am not sure who is more unhappy with that arrangement.’

They all bit back grins.

Calypso felt that having to care for Leo was an insult, as he was far scrawnier and Dwarvish than any of her previous heroes.

Leo did not want to have to remain in Olympia under the care of a stuck-up Elf, no matter how beautiful she was, while his friends continued their quest.

Privately, they all wondered whether there would be yet another engagement to announce after their quest.

Piper grew serious again.

‘There is danger ahead on your path; be wary. I bid you safe journey, and farewell for now.’

Percy and Annabeth left to allow Jason a private moment with Piper.

He kissed her softly, and rested his forehead against hers.

‘I will return.’

She smiled a mysterious smile.

‘There is no need. I will journey to you.’

He smiled in return.

‘Well, then I shall say, we shall see one another again, and I will hold you to your promise.’

She ran a hand through his hair.

‘And I will be glad to be held. I _will_ become your wife, and I _will_ choose a mortal life.’

She said it firmly, resolutely, and he wondered whether she had seen it come to pass.

He hoped so.

-

This defied all logic.

Jason, Percy and Annabeth were frantically fighting off the men who had attacked them only an hour after they crossed into Romana.

The men wore the emblem of Lord Octavian, a Roman noble.

Jason was being attacked by his kingdom’s own men. His father’s own men, in effect.

His father, who approved of his plan for peace and friendship.

It did not make sense.

But he had no time to consider it. They were badly outnumbered. The situation was dire.

Briefly, the irony of the situation, the fact that he might die at the hands of his own troops, along with the King and a Lady of Athenia, starting another war, while attempting to bring peace, flashed through his mind.

Then, an arrow buried itself in the chest of the man attacking him.

All around him, Octavian’s men fell, clutching arrows in their chests.

A voice rang out.

‘Do not harm the others! Bows down!’

Rangers. It could only be Rangers.

Percy and Annabeth took a defensive stance, positioning their horses so they were instinctively standing guarding each other’s backs, as approximately fifteen men on horseback rode up to the trio.

One of the men dismounted, and bowed perfunctorily to Jason.

Jason recognized him.

‘Lieutenant Frank.’

(His military rank took precedence over his title on such an occasion.)

He dismounted, and Percy and Annabeth did the same.

‘My lord Jason.’

Normally, he should have waited until Jason addressed him before continuing to speak, but as the dead men of Lord Octavian surrounding them indicated, this was not an ordinary situation.

‘My lord, Lord Octavian has mounted a coup against your father. Two days ago, this Ranger unit came under attack from his forces, at a border outpost perhaps most of a day’s ride from here. We lost many men, including our Captain.’ Frank paused for a moment. ‘We captured three men, and interrogated them, discovering the coup. Octavian has under his command a vast army comprising his men, as well as auxiliary forces- Orcs. He is already in control of many of the outer provinces.’ Frank scowled. ‘The traitor commands the Orcs to pillage whole settlements, before ordering his men to ride in and _save_ them. At the same time, his forces attack those loyal to your father, to render us powerless to stop them or protect the people.’ Frank looked apologetic. ‘There is already significant resentment against your father, and significant support for Octavian, I’m afraid, my lord.’

Jason’s face looked stony.

‘Does my father know?’

Frank nodded.

‘Yes, word has already been sent. Rome is safe and free of traitors, at least for now.’

That made sense. It was the capital and stronghold of power. Support for the king was highest there.

Jason was silent, so after hesitating for a moment, Frank spoke again.

‘We must move, my lord. There are many Orcs and many of Octavian’s men in this area. Since the attack, we have been attempting to counter his forces, but we are far too greatly outnumbered.’

Jason nodded.

‘Precisely what have you been doing?’

Frank’s countenance became confused at the unexpected question.

‘Octavian’s men are from the west. Most Orcs would not be familiar with the lay of the land in Romana. We Rangers are, for most of us have been stationed here in the east for some time, and it is our business to know the land. Our strengths lie in our smaller numbers, ability to move unseen, skill with the bow and familiarity with the land. For two days, we have been drawing the traitor’s forces into swamps, ambushing them in narrow passes and the like. We have perhaps reduced the numbers of his forces by more than 200.’

Jason nodded in approval.

He glanced around at the other Rangers.

The looks in their eyes, their stances, their nods of support, the looks of respect they gave Frank, showed they did not follow Frank because of his title, nor because he was now the ranking officer.

If Jason remembered correctly, the previous Captain of his unit was a commoner who had risen through the ranks on ability alone. He had been well-respected and well-loved by his men. The respect that these men showed the young Lord now, their willingness to follow him, confirmed that what Jason was about to do was right.

‘Kneel, Lieutenant.’

Confused, Frank obeyed.

‘Lieutenant Frank, I, Jason, Crown Prince of Romana, grant you an emergency field promotion to Captain of this unit of rangers, will the full powers of that rank. Take command.’

He reached out and grasped the other man’s hand, helping him to his feet.

Frank looked stunned. If they were not in such a dire situation, he would probably have been incredibly flustered.

Jason clapped him on the back, and spoke a few words softly to him.

‘Have confidence, Frank. You are more than capable.’

He actually did blush at those words.

‘Thank you, my lord.’

‘Jason. Address me as Jason, please.’

‘Of course, my... my apologies, Jason.’

Jason smiled wanly at him.

‘My companions and I must reach Rome, Captain. As soon as possible.’

(It was even more imperative that Percy and Annabeth’s identities remained secret now, and even more vital that they returned the Athena  Parthenos and established a friendship and alliance with Athenia. If they did so, the Athenians would near-certainly ride to the aid of Jason’s father against the traitor Octavian...and it seemed that they desperately needed that assistance.)

Frank nodded.

‘Rangers, we escort the Prince and his companions to Rome! Retrieve all the arrows you can, then we ride! Tight formation, but deploy additional scouts; we cannot let them catch us unawares! We alternate between one and a half times forced march pace and forced march pace every three hours!’

-

‘Percy! Behind you!’

Annabeth’s voice rang out over the din of battle.

They were less than half a day’s ride from Rome, yet Octavian’s forces seemed aware of that fact and extremely determined to stop them.

They were fighting for their lives.

Annabeth’s warning saved Percy from being impaled on an Orc’s sword, but came too late to save him from all injury. The Orc blade drew blood.

Wincing in pain, the young King continued to fight.

The battle continued, and soon, few of Octavian’s forces remained standing. Yet, they all bore wounds, and were exhausted. Several of the Rangers had fallen, never to fight again.

It was questionable and uncertain as to whether they could actually defeat the traitor’s remaining forces, for they were fresh and uninjured.

The Fates must have been smiling down on them, for a figure mounted on a black horse stormed out of the shadows, turning the tide of the battle.

As soon as the enemy forces were defeated, the figure rode up to Jason and removed his helmet.

Jason recognized Nico di Angelo, half-brother of Hazel, illegitimate son of Lord Hades, traveller and wanderer.

‘Your sister sends her regards. Do not fret about her; she is safe with Bianca and Lady Artemis.’

Jason scoffed.

‘So she has ridden into battle with Lady Artemis and Bianca against the forces of Octavian, and sent you to locate me, as she has somehow heard of my quest.’

Nico gave a slight smile, a rare expression for him, before his face settled back into its usual scowl.

He glanced around at the company, every member of which nursed wounds, some rather grievous.

‘Make haste.’

And he rode off towards Rome.

Percy and Annabeth glanced at Jason, who simply shrugged and rode off after Nico.

He was _not_ known for his tact, or his gentleness.

-

As soon as they passed through the city gates, they were taken to the Houses of Healing.

Frank’s Rangers had borne the brunt of the injuries, and were quickly taken for treatment by the healers.

Jason, Frank, Percy, Nico and Annabeth gathered in a small chamber off the main infirmary, and were informed that a healer would soon arrive to tend to their injuries. (Which were not nearly life-threatening; mostly cuts and bruises, though Frank’s ribs seemed to be causing him pain, the cut in Percy’s side needed attention to prevent infection, and the gash in Annabeth’s left leg caused her to favour it greatly.)

They shucked their weapons and armour, glad to be relieved of the load after their journey. Glad to be somewhere safe.

The door opened, and a healer entered.

Jason started in shock.

Frank and Nico smiled broadly in welcome.

The healer was none other than Lady Hazel, dressed in the simple grey gown and apron of the healers, a scarf covering her hair.

‘My lords, my lady.’

‘Lady Hazel, what are you doing here?’

Hazel turned to Jason, unperturbed.

‘It is Mistress Hazel within these walls, my lord. And I am here to tend to your wounds and those of your companions.’

Jason stepped closer to her.

‘But you are not a healer. To become one is your intention, yes, but you have not yet attained it.’

She gave a small, rueful smile.

‘And now I must apologize, my lord, for I have deceived you. I am a fully qualified healer, already, for I have been learning in these Houses in secret since I was thirteen years old. Now, please, we may discuss my deceptions and you may threaten to tell my father later, but for now, let me see to your wounds and those of your friends.’

She pulled a folding screen out from the corner, placed a stool behind it, and gestured to Annabeth to sit behind it.

‘My lady-‘

‘Annabeth, please.’

Hazel nodded.

‘Annabeth, if you could please remove your leggings.’ She handed her the grey dress she had been carrying. ‘And I imagine you would like to change your clothing.’

Annabeth smiled gratefully at her, and stepped behind the screen.

She glanced at the four men, taking in their bloody tunics.

‘My lords, if you could please remove your tunics.’

Frank reddened, and they all acquiesced.

Nico was not especially content with the notion of his sister seeing her beau half-unclothed, but took heart in the fact that it was in her capacity as a healer.

Hazel, too, was somewhat flustered at their state of undress, as she fussed over them and examined them for injuries, applying ointments that she drew out of her apron.

(She was completely composed while caring for Nico, as he was her brother, only slightly pink when examining Jason and Percy, and utterly red while fussing over Frank, who was equally flustered.)

Jason watched the blushing pair as Hazel tended to the new Captain.

They were a lucky pair indeed, he thought, in love and considered an acceptable and favourable match by all of society, and near-certainly their parents. As soon as they wished, they could be wed.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the delivery of food to the chamber by three servants, and famished, the companions all sat down for a meal.

-

Jason, Percy and Frank sat in a courtyard garden in the Houses of Healing. A light meal rested before them, and being young men, they ate heartily.

Nico had departed alone, to where, they did not know. He had only assured them that he would not leave Rome, and would return to assist them to escort the Athena Parthenos to Athens.

Hazel was occupied with her duties as a healer.

Annabeth was scouring Rome for the Athena Parthenos, alone.

She had insisted that she go alone, arguing wholeheartedly with the men, Percy in particular, over the point.

She had asserted that while Rome was believed safe from traitors, they could not be certain. While those loyal to Octavian had doubtlessly received a description of all of them, Annabeth, as a young woman, was most likely to be ignored, underestimated and possibly not even recognized. Besides, she had argued, she was the only one who could read the coin.

In the end, they had had to agree that she was right, and allow her to go into the city all alone.

Though, Jason had requested that Reyna ask her network of Knights, men-at-arms, merchants and traders and even stable boys to watch for the young woman, and defend her if the need arose.

(Although, Annabeth was a capable fighter in her own right, and her leg had already improved significantly.)

She had left before dawn, and the sun was now setting.

Percy had been anxious for most of the day, and now Frank and Jason grew worried too.

Just as Jason was about to send word to Reyna, Hazel ran into the courtyard, grinning.

‘She’s found it.’

-

‘I apologize, but I cannot accompany you. If I were a simple Ranger, I could, if I was still a Lieutenant, it may have been possible, but as a Captain, I have duties here that I cannot shirk. I must assist the King against Octavian.’

Jason nodded. Frank spoke true. He could not assist them.

Still, he did not feel that Percy, Annabeth, Nico and he were adequate guard for the Athena Parthenos. Not when Octavian’s forces were everywhere.

The Crown Prince glanced around the chamber, at Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Frank and Hazel.

The young healer spoke up.

‘I cannot fight, but I can help.’ She smiled as deviously as she was capable. ‘Gwen, one of the village women who has travelled to the Houses to learn the healing arts, owns an inn along with her husband in Octavian’s stronghold. The inn is frequented by many of Octavian’s men, and her husband Dakota is a friend of many. She has informed me that many of Octavian’s men are not as loyal to him as he would hope.’

Jason turned to her.

‘You believe that he may be able to turn some away from the traitor?’

Hazel nodded.

‘I will go speak with her immediately. She can travel at haste, and no-one shall take notice of a solitary village woman returning to her home and her husband.’

She departed the chamber.

The others glanced around at one another. Even if some of Octavian’s forces defected, they still faced many battles and many dangers on the road to Athens.

Jason felt that they required one more individual to travel with them for the safety of the Athena Parthenos. Frank would have been ideal, but it was true that he could not be spared by the King.

A voice interrupted them.

A female voice, very familiar to Jason.

‘I will go with you. I will help you return the statue to Athenia.’

Reyna stood in the doorway, dressed in leggings and a tunic, bearing armour, a sword and shield in her arms.

Jason stood.

‘Reyna, you cannot. You know that it will-‘

‘I do not care about my marriage prospects.’

(They would be destroyed by such an undertaking; an unmarried woman journeying with three unmarried men. Annabeth, Jason knew, would likely be forced to marry Percy on her return, though considering her clever mind, love for one another and desire to marry, that may well have influenced her decision to join them. It did provide a means to force her mother’s consent, and she would not be viewed poorly and shunned due to the people of Athenia’s love for her and Percy as a pair. But Reyna...Reyna would have no such option. Perhaps Nico may consent to marry her, to save her honour, but there were almost no prospects for her as his wife...)

Reyna looked Nico, Annabeth, Jason and Percy in the eye in turn, eyes hard and resolute.

‘I swear on my honour and my kingdom that I am not attempting to trap anyone into marriage. I consider the safety and security of my kingdom to be far more important than my own marriage prospects.’ She dropped her voice slightly. ‘We all know that without Athenia’s assistance, Romana will fall to Octavian.’

With sadness in his heart, but admiration for his friend’s strength, Jason nodded.

‘It is settled then. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Reyna, we ride for Athenia at first light tomorrow.’

-

‘Stay safe, please.’

Jason and Percy laughed wryly, and exchanged a glance.

‘I do not think we can promise that, Hazel.’

She smiled sadly.

‘But you promise to try?’

‘Of course!’

The healer played with the hem of her apron.

‘Will you watch over my brother for me? He has a tendency to show no concern whatsoever for his life.’

Jason and Percy smiled at the young woman.

Hazel had always been young and small, but she seemed even more so today.

‘We shall strive to return him to you safe and unharmed.’

She nodded.

‘Thank you, my lords.’

‘Jason.’

‘Percy.’

Formalities felt foolish in this situation.

Reyna and Annabeth had finished bidding Frank goodbye, and Nico had completed his threat, it appeared, so Jason and Percy moved to farewell the Ranger, as the other three said their goodbyes to Hazel.

‘Your beloved is attempting to make us swear we will return safely.’

Frank smiled, blushing slightly at the mention of Hazel as his beloved.

‘She will fret for you while you are gone.’

Jason grinned.

 ‘And she shall fret all the more for you while you are.’

Percy clasped his hand in fellowship.

‘I expect to be invited to the wedding.’

At this, Frank grew flustered, but he smiled.

‘I will speak to her father as soon as we vanquish Octavian’s insurrection about entering into a formal courtship.’

He and Jason clasped hands.

‘I bid you safe journey.’

The five mounted their horses, the Athena Parthenos secured to another horse tethered to Tempest, and departed.

Frank and Hazel watched as they left.

He reached out and took her hand in his.

‘They will succeed, and they will return safely.’

He was not sure who he was attempting to reassure.

-

They’d arrived.

They’d done it.

After a long, tiring, battle-heavy journey, they had reached Athens, bearing the Athena Parthenos, all still alive.

Tired and lightly wounded, but alive.

Percy stood on the steps of the palace, before a crowd of Athenians and all of his advisors.

‘Jason, Crown Prince of Romana, and Lady Reyna and Master Nico of Romana have returned our greatest treasure, the Athena Parthenos, wrongfully taken by Romana many years ago. Now, they have righted that wrong, in a gesture of peace and friendship!’

Percy’s voice took on a more personable tone.

‘Our quest for the Athena Parthenos was not an easy quest. Blood was shed, lives were lost. But saving one another’s lives, watching one another’s backs in battle, breeds fellowship and trust. Hence, Annabeth and I are proud to call Jason, Reyna and Nico our friends, and may this bring a new era of friendship between our kingdoms!’

Jason, after giving Percy a quick look, asking for permission, stepped forward to speak.

‘Reyna, Nico and I, too, are proud to call your king, Percy, and his betrothed, Annabeth, our friends! We bring the Athena Parthenos back to its home in order to symbolise the end of the past. Romana looks forward to a prosperous era of friendship with Athenia!’

Percy stepped forward again, tone more serious.

‘My people, Romana is currently in a state of crisis. A traitor by the name of Lord Octavian seeks to usurp the King, working in conjunction with the Orcs that have long been a scourge on our land. I will ride to the aid of my friends and their kingdom, now; I ask that you do too. I know that it is a great sacrifice, and lives will be lost, for a friendship that is in its infancy, but I ask you to have faith and goodwill.’

Murmuring broke out among the crowd.

The return of the Athena Parthenos may well have improved relations between the two kingdoms, but it seemed that many Athenians were not yet ready to ride to the aid of Romana.

Jason’s spirits fell.

He stepped forward.

‘People of Athenia! The history between our kingdoms has not been a kind one, instead, it has been full of bloodshed. But now, I ask of you...no, I beg you...’ He knelt. The audience stared, even Reyna suppressed a gasp. ‘Help us to deliver our kingdom. Ride with me, Lady Reyna, Master Nico, your King and Lady Annabeth to deliver Romana, and I swear on my honour, my kingdom and my life, that Romana will come to your aid in your hour of need, as a true friend would.’

More murmuring.

‘I will ride with you!’

Grover, the Captain of Percy’s guards, stepped forward.

‘And I!’

Two young men, nearly identical in appearance, joined Grover.

‘You have my bow!’

A blond man wearing a bow and a quiver of arrows stepped forward.

As Jason watched, stunned, men, and some women, volunteered their weapons and their lives for his kingdom.

Percy reached out and clasped his hand, pulling him to his feet.

He grinned.

‘If this is not a bridge of friendship, I do not know what would be. When this is over, you shall have your bride.’

Jason smiled.

‘And you shall have yours.’

Percy ran a hand through his hair.

‘Lady Athena will not be pleased that you publically referred to Annabeth as my betrothed...but now she will have no choice but to allow our marriage. Thank you, my friend.’

Jason shook his head.

‘No, thank you, my friend.’

-

Jason sighed.

He had a severe headache, and even the remedy prepared by Hazel was of no assistance.

Treaty negotiations were harder than battle, that was for sure.

At least in battle, one could run a sword through one’s opposition.

With the aid of the Athenians, Octavian’s insurrection had been defeated and the Orc scourge halted, at least for now.

Currently, Athenia and Romana were in the midst of negotiations, negotiating a formal treaty of peace, friendship and mutual self-defence.

As Crown Prince of Romana, and a key player in the events leading to the treaty, Jason of course had to attend.

He took heart in the fact that Percy was also trapped in the stuffy chamber. The young King looked even more bored than Jason.

He also derived much amusement from the scandalized looks on the faces of his father, his advisors and the Roman lords at the presence of Lady Annabeth and Lady Athena in the Athenian negotiation team.

The negotiations were nearly over, thankfully, with the formal treaty to be signed the next morning.

Jason was struggling to remain awake.

Percy had fallen asleep earlier, only to be discreetly woken by Annabeth.

Frankly, the young King would not survive without his betrothed.

That thought stung Jason’s heart.

He had sent word to Olympia as soon as the great battle was over.

But Piper had yet to arrive.

Had harm befallen her?

Had her mother changed her mind and refused her permission?

Had...had Piper perhaps changed her mind? Had she fallen in love with an Elf, whom she could remain with forever, never aging, never dying?

No, he told himself firmly.

She loves you, as you love her.

She _will_ come.

A servant rushed into the chamber.

‘My lords, my ladies! The Elves have arrived!’

-

‘You consider me to be late.’

Piper smiled at him.

Jason sighed and smiled apologetically.

‘For a short time...I feared you were not coming.’

She reached out and gently placed a hand on his cheek, for everyone to see.

Such a gesture in public was completely improper, but Jason did not care.  

‘Do not doubt, my love. You are my love, after all. I promised I would come to you, and I have.’ She grinned. ‘I simply took longer than we both wished. A wedding dress cannot be made in haste, my love.’

He grinned, and propriety be damned, bent and kissed her.

Cheers and applause erupted, doubtlessly led by Percy.

King Zeus turned to Jason, a look of pride on his face.

‘You have done well, my son.’

Jason knew, somehow, that his father was referring to everything. The battles, the quest, making peace, even winning Piper’s heart and hand.

His father smiled genuinely, a very rare sight.

‘I planned to announce your betrothal tomorrow, but it appears that that is no longer unnecessary. Your method will certainly suffice.’

He gestured behind them.

‘And I daresay, it may well start a new fashion.’

Behind them, Percy and Annabeth were kissing, as were Calypso and Leo.

Jason turned to Piper, an eyebrow raised.

She giggled.

‘I will tell you the tale later. It is truly one for the ages.’ She smiled. ‘Now kiss me again, my love.’

He obliged.

After all, he could never say no to Piper.

-

Jason grinned, looking around at all the wedding guests milling about, dancing or enjoying food.

He had never been happier.

There was peace and friendship between his kingdom and Athenia.

His friends were all happy.

Percy and Annabeth, recently wed, danced together, demonstrating the more raucous Athenian style of dancing to the Romans.

Calypso and Leo bickered in one corner.

(She, like her sister, had chosen mortality to be with the one she loved. They had confided in Jason and their friends that they planned to elope next week, so not to worry when they disappeared, before going travelling together. Calypso had seen little of the world beyond Olympia, and Leo was eager to show her the land. It would likely be an incredible scandal, perhaps the scandal of the year.)

Reyna, Thalia and Bianca were in attendance, along with the Lady Artemis. The four women had begun training a female-only unit of Rangers, called the Hunters.

(That had also been a terribly scandalous event. In hindsight, Jason thought, perhaps more scandalous than Leo and Calypso’s impending elopement.)

Hazel and Frank, who were currently seated beside Jason after a round of dancing, took their leave, stating they were going outside to talk.

(Jason had no doubt that that was what they were intending to do, at least predominantly, unlike most couples who were outside ‘talking’.)

Even Nico’s situation had improved; he had been appointed personal ambassador between Jason and Percy, enabling his father to finally claim him as his son.

Yes, he thought, glancing over at his beloved and bride. He had never been happier.

She smiled at him.

‘What is on your mind, my love?’

He smiled.

‘I was simply musing on how fortunate I am, Piper.’

Her smile widened, and her voice grew light and teasing.

‘And why are you so fortunate?’

He, too, took on a teasing tone.

‘Well, we have peace and friendship with Athenia.’

He gestured around the room.

‘Our friends have all found happiness.’

He smiled broadly.

‘And I have you.’

She leaned over and kissed him in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is very Lord of the Rings inspired. If anyone is interested, here is a list of sorts: 
> 
> The races of people are inspired by those in Lord of the Rings, as are the two kingdoms, Romana (Gondor) and Athenia (Rohan) and to an extent, the relationship between them.
> 
> The characters and their situations and some relationships are also generally somewhat inspired by Lord of the Rings characters. Jason and Piper correspond to Aragon and Arwen, while Percy is kind of/sort of Eomer. Frank is inspired by Faramir, while Reyna and Annabeth are both somewhat inspired by Eowyn. Hazel’s character is inspired by a fairly popular fanon characterization of Lothiriel. 
> 
> Some lines are also inspired by Lord of the Rings, most notably ‘You have my bow!’ (Which is said by Will Solace, if anyone is interested, in this story, and Legolas in the Fellowship of the Ring movie- they are both blond and probably capable at archery, hence the line.)


	4. Circus

Nico di Angelo smiled as he approached a tanned, blond boy standing outside the circus field.

‘Hi, Will.’

Will grinned at him, and Nico felt skeletal butterflies flutter in his stomach.

_Stop it, di Angelo, this is not a date. This is just two friends hanging out!_

‘Hi, Nico! Here’s your ticket.’

Will handed him a slip of paper. Nico examined it.

‘The show doesn’t start for another 2 hours? Why did you say it was important that I was here at 4:30, and not a minute later?’

Will stared at him in disbelief.

‘The sideshows, of course! The weird and wonderful stuff before the actual circus?’

Nico shrugged.

‘I’ve never been to a circus.’

Will gaped.

‘You poor deprived child! You really need to get out more!’

Normally, Nico might take that as a bit of an insult. But Will’s light, teasing tone made it clear that it was anything but, so smiling (Will’s happiness was infectious), he followed the taller boy through the gates.

* * *

‘Seaweed Brain, you’ve got to go and double-check all of your equipment.’

‘But Wise Girl, I wanna spend time with you instead!’

Nico and Will looked at each other with raised eyebrows, as they listened to the bickering voices coming from the caravan. They didn’t mean to eavesdrop...they were pretty sure anyone within 20 yards could hear the man and the woman.

‘If you don’t ensure that everything’s fine and your act goes smoothly tonight, revenue will decrease, and I’ll have to spend more time sorting out the finances and the accounts to keep the circus afloat. Then, I’ll have even less time to spend with you.’

They could practically hear the pout in the man’s reply.

‘So you only care about me because of the money? I’m so hurt, Wise Girl!’

They could definitely hear the roll of Wise Girl’s eyes in her voice.

‘Come here, Seaweed Brain, and I’ll show you just how much I care about you...after you check over your stuff for the show! Safety first!’

Suppressing laughs, Will and Nico walked past the bickering couple’s caravan.

* * *

They stopped in front of a trestle table laden with bizarre metal objects and bottles of perfume and oil. A strong floral scent permeated the air.

The green-eyed, brown-haired young woman manning the stall smiled at them.

‘I’ve got some lovely perfumes and oils, all-natural and handmade from plants. Are you interested?’

Will and Nico stared at a metal object resting on the table. It resembled a music box fused with an old-fashioned phonograph.

Will, by far the more extroverted of the two, pointed to the strange object.

‘What is that?’

The woman shook her head, shrugging.

‘Frankly, I have absolutely no idea. I didn’t make it, the fire-eater, Leo, you’ll see him in the ring later on, did. He calls it the Valdezinator, and he says it’s a musical instrument...’

Will pursed his lips and turned to Nico.

‘Do you reckon I should buy it for my dad?’

(Will’s dad had a bit of a thing for musical instruments, and always wanted more to add to his collection and his repertoire.)

Nico stared at the Valdezinator sceptically, but before he could reply, a woman yelled loudly.

‘STOLLS!’ The perfume-and-oil- selling young woman was scolding at two clowns perched on the roof of the caravan behind her. She was also covered in glitter. ‘Travis Stoll, you are so dead, you stupid, immature idiot!’

The slightly taller clown nudged the other one, who was holding a large bucket.

‘See, I told you, Connor, Katie totally likes me!’

And the two clowns fled, jumping off the opposite edge of the caravan.

The young woman, Katie, looked absolutely furious, and ran off, leaving a trail of glitter behind her.

Will and Nico just stared.

* * *

‘We should get our fortunes told.’

Will pointed to a garishly coloured tent.

Nico rolled his eyes.

‘It’ll just be some psychic bullshit. It’s a waste of money, Will.’

The other boy pouted.

‘I know, but it’ll be fun!’

Nico sighed and shook his head, but his expression softened and he followed Will into the tent.

A young woman with curly red hair and freckles, and vivid green eyes, almost eerie, sat at a low table inside.

‘Welcome, gentlemen. I am Madame Red. Place $7 on the table and we can begin.’

Will slipped some notes onto her table, and she placed them in her pocket and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. She handed them to Will.

‘Shuffle these, and focus on the aspect of your life you would like to know about.’

Will glanced briefly at Nico, a light blush staining his cheeks.

The cards shuffled, he returned them to Madame Red.

She spread them out on the table.

‘Choose three.’

Will turned one over, and Madame Red glanced at it.

‘Strength. For patience, compassion, and of course, strength.’

He turned over another.

‘The High Priestess. Non-action. Potential.’

He turned over a third card.

‘The Lovers. The meaning should be clear.’ She glanced over at Nico, and they both reddened.

Madame Red turned to Nico.

‘I do not believe you would like your fortune told. Nor do I foresee that you will require it. I wish you two much happiness. Your path may not always be an easy one, but you will have the strength to walk it.’

They both shivered, still blushing.

This Madame Red was really rather disconcerting.

She _knew._

* * *

‘Grover, I thought you told me there was no animal cruelty in your circus!’

A young woman in a long green dress with flowers in her hair looked angrily at a young man with curly brown hair and wispy chin beard. Behind them, there was a large elephant, being tended to by a bulky young Asian man.

The man with the beard (assumedly Grover) held out his hands and walked closer to the young woman.

‘Juniper, there isn’t! Hannibal was being abused by another circus before he was rescued! But no zoo would take him because he has issues with other elephants after so long in a circus, so we took him in. He’s happy!’ He gestured towards the man tended the elephant. ‘He loves Frank, and Frank loves him! You can quiz him!’ Grover grabbed a very flustered Frank and practically shoved him towards Juniper. ‘You’ll do fine, Frank, just don’t mention the peanut incident!’

Grover was, by now, cowering behind the bigger man.

Will and Nico decided that they certainly didn’t want to be around, in case they somehow got dragged in too.

* * *

Nico and Will’s stomachs growled in unison.

Sheepishly, they turned to each other.

‘Food?’

‘Food.’

They walked up to a kiosk set up in front of a caravan.

The incredibly beautiful young woman with cinnamon hair and milky skin standing behind the counter smiled at them.

‘Hi, what can I get you?’

Before either of them could respond, a Latino elf poked his head around the caravan.

‘Hey Sunshine-‘

Without even hesitating, the woman grabbed two hotdogs and a can of Coke from under the counter and passed them to him.

He grinned.

‘Aw sweet! Love you, Sunshine!’

She smiled at him.

‘Love you too, Leo. Now go eat up and get ready for the show!’

He mock-saluted her.

‘Yes ma’am!’

Rolling her eyes and smiling affectionately, she turned back to Will and Nico.

‘Sorry about that. What would you like?’

_That was the weird-machine-building fire-eater?_

_Figures._

* * *

Nico and Will took their seats, having finished their food.

Moments later, the Ringmaster entered.

Unusually, the Ringmaster was female.

Although, she looked like she would kill anyone who dared to suggest that a female Ringmaster was somehow inferior. She had dark hair and dark eyes.

After giving a typical (at least according to Will) opening spiel, she launched them straight into the first act.

The Ringmaster whistled, and two dogs, one that looked silver under the lights, the other gold, ran into the ring.

* * *

Nico watched, transfixed, as the two acrobats leapt and swung high up in the air.

The man was blond and strong-looking. Considering his occupation, he probably got more than a few blond Superman jokes.

The woman had darker skin, and appeared to be of Native American descent.

As the man tossed the woman through the air, Nico mused on how much trust there must be between the pair.

They relied on each other to catch them after a jump, trusted each other enough to hang on to the other as their only lifeline so many feet off the ground.

He glanced at Will.

Little did he know, moments later, after Nico had turned back, Will turned to glance at him.

* * *

The two clowns entered the ring.

Will turned to Nico.

‘Well, it looks like they escaped.’

Nico laughed quietly.

He pointed to the clowns, who seemed to be limping somewhat.

‘Are you sure?’

Will glanced at them and laughed.

‘Or maybe not.’

* * *

 

‘Don’t you want to become a doctor?’

Will mock-glared at him.

* * *

‘She’s really good.’

Nico looked on, impressed, as a young, curly-haired African-American woman exited the ring, standing on the back of a golden horse.

‘You would say that, considering your abilities with horses.’

Nico mock-glared at Will.

Yes, it was true, horses, like most animals, hated him, but did Will really have to point that out? He supposed it was comeuppance for earlier.

Will continued.

‘But she is definitely really good.’

* * *

The whole audience watched, completely transfixed, as a maniacally grinning Latino man (with a really crazy glint in his eyes- as if he’d had too much caffeine) juggled burning torches.

When he proceeded to eat some of the fire, everyone was completely still and silent.

Nico wondered how many were stunned from fear. After all, this Leo seemed completely high on caffeine. Should he really be allowed around fire?

(It wasn’t as if he was fireproof or anything.)

* * *

The audience laughed as the strongman lifted the elephant’s foot with one hand, grinning and gesturing at the audience like a master showman.

Will turned to Nico.

‘Is that the same guy from earlier? The flustered one?’

Nico nodded.

‘I guess so...’

‘He seems different. More confident.’

‘Less red.’

Will laughed at his joke.

The butterflies were back with a vengeance.

Frank put down Hannibal’s foot.

Seconds later, the woman with the horse cantered back into the ring, and gracefully leapt off her steed.

The crowd gasped.

Frank caught her easily, and stood there for a moment, holding the smiling horsewoman bridal-style. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red and smiled at her.

_Yup, definitely the same guy._

A collective _aww_ rose up in the crowd.

Her horse trotted up to him, and snorted, as if demanding his rider back.

Laughter followed.

Still smiling at her, he placed her gently back on the horse, and she rode out of the ring.

Nico, Will, and the rest of the audience were left wondering just how much of that was scripted.

* * *

The final act of the night was the escape artist.

The dark-haired young man was locked in chains by a blond woman with curly hair, and placed into a large tank of water.

The audience watched, gripping the edges of their seats, as he struggled to free himself.

He stayed under for far longer than possible.

(Seriously, it was like he was part-fish or something.)

In his anxiety, Will grabbed Nico’s hand.

Nico didn’t pull his hand away.

The whole audience erupted in applause when he got out of the last padlock, and pulled himself out of the water.

He was certainly very handsome, Nico thought, watching him bow to the audience, still glistening wet, but he wasn’t his type.

He glanced at Will.

No, definitely not his type.

* * *

‘Thanks for bringing me here, Will.’

The blond grinned at him.

‘You enjoyed it?’

Nico smiled.

‘Definitely.’

The impassive Ringmaster walked past them as they exited the big top.

She glanced at their still-entwined hands, and Nico swore she smiled and winked at them.

_You make a cute couple._


	5. Hollywood

**Another One?**

Leo Valdez, well-known comedian and perpetual sidekick, has been spotted with the ice-queen popstar herself, Khione. She’s the fourth woman linked to him in as many months, and is bound to be causing headaches for Mr Valdez’s long-suffering manager, Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano.

**More than Co-stars?**

Hollywood’s favourite young leading man, Jason Grace, and his _The Lost Hero_ co-star and on-screen love interest Piper McLean have been spotted sharing a romantic dinner for two. Miss McLean is the daughter of Hollywood stalwart Tristan McLean, and has everything an aspiring starlet could want: the looks, the talent and the connections. But she has practically shunned Hollywood, most known for her roles in arthouse films. Until now. _The Lost Hero,_ first in a series of planned blockbusters, marks a significant departure from her usual work. Three months ago, she publically declared that she came on board the project because of the director, Chiron, and the script, but could there be more to her sudden change?

**Engaged!**

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, Hollywood’s golden couple, co-stars of the box office hit and critically acclaimed series _The Olympians,_ are engaged! The announcement was made yesterday morning by their close friend and manager Grover Underwood, and was followed by some adorable photos on Percy’s Instagram. (The link is on our website.) Congratulations!

**Opposites Attract?**

Frank Zhang, action hero star of the _Son of Mars_ trilogy, and Hazel Levesque, who has recently burst into the Hollywood scene as Abigail in Lupa’s film adaptation of _The Crucible,_ have been spotted together at Central Park Zoo. Miss Levesque, who has been well known in theatre circles since childhood, and Mr Zhang, who is famously the complete opposite of the characters he plays, may at first seem an odd couple...but those who saw their shared interview for _Returning to Alaska,_ their upcoming film about the struggles of a soldier and his wife before and upon his return from war, know far better!

**Sorry, Ladies!**

Nico di Angelo, poster boy for tall, dark and mysterious, has revealed that he plays for the other team! The notoriously camera-shy star of _The Ghost King_ made the announcement on _Hollywood with Cupid,_ after a confrontational interview with the show’s host. While many of our staff join the legion of women left with broken hearts after this revelation, the team here at _Aphrodite_ are 100% behind you, Nico!


	6. Popstars

**End of a Rivalry?**

Solo artists Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, the two hottest young things in music world, have released a new collaborative single! The two have had a famous and well-documented rivalry since their hit debut songs, _Riptide_ and _Julius,_ went head-to-head on the charts. The song, _Sons of the Gods,_ is rapidly climbing the charts. Could this be the work of their respective girlfriends, Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean, the hit pop duo _A &P? _Does this mark a new era of collaboration between the two heartthrobs? We here at _Aphrodite_ sure hope so! Watch this space!   


**Ashamed of a Hit?**

Singer-songwriter Frank Zhang, most famous for his ballads, revealed in an interview with Rachel Elizabeth Dare on _The Oracle_ that he is ashamed of his new single, _Steal My Girl,_ which is currently #1 on the charts! He revealed that he was ‘actually kind of ashamed’ of writing the pop hit, a departure from his usual style, because ‘it’s kind of possessive’ and he was ‘worried that it’s disrespectful towards Hazel [Levesque, his girlfriend and fellow musician, acclaimed for her incorporation of old jazz sounds into hit pop]’. He revealed that it was written in anger and jealousy over fellow performer, the flirtatious, slightly offensive but extremely loveable firebrand, Leo Valdez’s song _Miss Metal Detector (The Girl from New Orleans),_ which was clearly dedicated to and about Miss Levesque. However, Mr Zhang clearly has nothing to worry about! Mr Valdez is famed for dedicating songs to girls, and, as we revealed last issue, has already moved on! ( **Maybe She’s Different,** _Aphrodite_ , Issue 5). Besides, from what we saw at the Grammys last week...the Frazel ship is stronger than ever! (And we at _Aphrodite_ couldn’t be happier!)

**Opposites Attract?**

Is that true for the punk-rock duo _Angel’s Grace_? After Thalia Grace (sister of Jason) was spotted two months ago on a date with Luke Castellan, lead singer of the squeaky-clean, yet mischievous boyband _Hermes’ Boys_ , Nico di Angelo, almost infamously anti-social, dark and brooding, has been linked to famously sunny solo artist Will Solace, the crush of teen girls everywhere. We at _Aphrodite_ are keenly following this new (potential) couple, already labelled Solangelo by some zealous fans!


	7. Rom-Com

Annabeth sighed, plonking herself down at the last empty table in the coffee shop. She took a long sip of her coffee.

Last-minute Christmas shopping was _hell._ Her feet ached. She felt a migraine developing. This was precisely why she loved being organized and doing everything in advance.

Unfortunately, life had had other plans. She’d been so busy at work (not that she was unhappy that her architecture career was taking off) that she’d had no time to get all her Christmas shopping done nice and early, so here she was on Christmas Eve morning, finishing it all off. Thankfully, there’d only been one present to buy today, a gift for one of her best friends, Piper. (She’d already bought Thalia’s online.)

Annabeth smiled, looking down at the brown paper bag containing the red-Santa-adorned-wrapping paper-covered box. (She’d had the present wrapped by one of those charity gift wrappers. It made sense to do so; not only was it convenient, it was for a good cause too.) Piper would like it very much, she was sure.

‘Hey, can I sit here?’

A young man with messy black hair and sea-green eyes, carrying a brown paper bag just like hers, gestured to the chair opposite her.

She nodded. There was no harm in letting a fellow last-minute shopper simply sit opposite her, after all. Besides, a little voice in her head said, he was really, really handsome. Annabeth immediately told that voice to shut up. He was simply sitting opposite her, but completely separate from her in any meaningful way. They were just sharing a table. No interaction whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the stranger didn’t get that memo.

‘Do you ever wonder why Santa chose the North Pole and not the South Pole? I mean, at the South Pole, he wouldn’t have to worry about global warming resulting in his workshop sinking.’

She stared at him. Did he have kelp for brains?

She took a deep breath.

‘No, I have more important things to think about, such as the potential loss of life and livelihoods due to more unpredictable weather and sea-level rise.’

He smiled at her.

This guy was crazy. Sure, he had a really cute smile, but he was crazy.

‘Woah, wise girl, that’s important and all, but what about Christmas?’

He narrowed his eyes at her.

‘You’re not a Grinch or a Scrooge, are you?’

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

‘No, no I’m not, seaweed brain.’

She finished her coffee, and stood to leave, putting an end to this ridiculous conversation. She grabbed her brown paper bag, checking to see it contained that wrapped parcel, and left.

It was after she was out the door that she realized that the bag weighed more than she recalled.

Panic welling in her stomach (that guy had had an identical bag...), she checked the present’s label.

_To Jason. From Percy._

Oh, no. Seaweed Brain (Percy) had also had his present for this Jason guy wrapped by the same present wrappers...and she had accidentally taken it. Which meant he had Piper’s present. Which meant she had to find him. ASAP.

She practically ran back to the coffee shop.

He was gone.

So was Piper’s present.

Annabeth swore. (She very rarely did, but this situation called for it.)

She rummaged around Seaweed Brain’s bag, and found a phone.

_His_ phone.

Why in the world would he put his phone in there?

Guys were stupid.

Or maybe it was just this one. (Stupidly handsome, a voice in her head chipped in. Annabeth told it to shut up.)

Well, one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

If she could just crack his password, then maybe she could find out (in the least creepy way possible) where he lived, so she could go retrieve Piper’s present.

Maybe.

New York was a big city after all.

* * *

Piper smiled at the little girl, Julia, who was stuck in hospital for Christmas with a broken arm. The little girl was colouring in a picture of Santa and some elves with her good arm.

Julia looked up at the psychologist.

‘Santa’s coming to visit us, right?’

Piper grinned.

‘Of course he is! I’ll be helping Santa out tonight; he’s coming to the Christmas party!’

Julia absolutely beamed.

Piper smiled down at her. The optimism, the bright attitude, of children in hospital always amazed her.

Sharing a glance with the handsome, blond, blue-eyed footballer surrounded by a gaggle of interested children on the other side of the room, she wasn’t the only one.

Later, said footballer came up to her.

He seemed a bit flushed, but held out a hand for her to shake, smiling.

‘Hi, I’m Jason.’

She smiled back. He had really nice eyes.

‘I’m Piper. It’s lovely to meet you.’

‘It’s nice to meet you too. I don’t mean to be rude or to pry, but do you work here?’

She nodded.

‘Well, I’m just a volunteer today, but yes. I’m a children’s psychologist.’

‘Wow.’ He seemed genuinely impressed. ‘Are you responsible for their attitudes, then? I mean, they’re all so...’

He trailed off.

She smiled.

‘Bright?’

He nodded.

‘Yeah...it’s amazing. I’ve seen and met a lot of brave, strong people, but these kids...’

They both glanced at Julia, at all the other children, some of which were terminally ill, yet still smiling and discussing what they wanted for Christmas.

‘They’re something special. But no, I can’t claim any credit for that. It’s all them.’

They stood there, watching the children for a moment.

Jason broke the silence.

‘Would you like to go have lunch together? You know, before the whole...surprise?’

(Jason had volunteered to dress up as Santa for the kids.)

Piper beamed back at him, almost as brightly as Julia.

‘I’d love to.’ Her face fell. ‘But I have to go pick up my car first, I’m afraid. It’s at the mechanic’s...’

Jason simply smiled.

‘I’ll come with you.’

_What a gentleman._

* * *

Annabeth had managed to unlock Percy’s phone, because he was a Seaweed Brain and used 1234 as his password.

Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything on the phone that could tell her his address.

She groaned in frustration.

A text message popped up.

She opened it, hoping that he’d found out that he was missing his phone and was trying to arrange to retrieve it...

But no such luck.

_Hey man, just wanted to say thanks for your help at the Save the Whales campaign yesterday. Juniper and I totally appreciate it! (The whales do too.) Merry Christmas, Perce- Grover_

She raised an eyebrow.

So Seaweed Brain did charity work.

That did not make him seem even more attractive in her eyes.

It absolutely did not.

* * *

‘Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?’

The dark-haired, serious young woman in a pantsuit glared at the oil-covered Latino elf.

‘Give me my keys, Valdez, and _only_ my keys.’

Her glare seemed to imply _or you’ll find yourself missing some choice body parts._

The mechanic seemed slightly intimidated, but grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

‘Oh, you’re a woman after my own heart, Reyna. You won’t be able to resist the famous Valdez charm for long!’

She rolled her eyes and took her keys. As she turned to leave, she sent a few words over her shoulder to him.

‘And it’s Agent Ramirez-Arellano, Valdez.’

Jason turned to Piper, frowning, as they watched the scene.

‘Err...should we have listened in on that? It was a private moment...’

Piper laughed, her kaleidoscope eyes sparkling.

Jason couldn’t focus on anything else but them for a moment.

‘There aren’t many private moments when Leo Valdez is involved. That was rather typical, actually.’

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Before he could say anything, the mechanic, having wiped his hands on a cloth, flung an arm around Piper, a manic grin on his face.

‘Hey, Beauty Queen! Who’s Sparky here?’

Jason looked at him quizzically.

‘Sparky?’

Leo grinned.

‘It’s the eyes, man.’ He held out a hand for him to shake. Jason took it. ‘Leo Valdez, otherwise known as Super-Hot McShizzle, the best mechanic in New York.’

‘I’m Jason.’

Leo nodded at Piper.

‘Modest. I like this one, Beauty Queen!’

A very faint blush stained Piper’s cheeks, while Jason’s was more pronounced.

Piper whacked him on the arm, none too gently.

‘Leo!’

The Latino mechanic turned to Jason, smiling. A manic glint lit his eyes.

‘Beauty Queen and I have been friends since we were little. She’s seriously the only hot girl I’ve ever met that I haven’t turned on the charm for. She’s like my sister, so if you ever...Well, I have a workshop full of potential torture instruments.’

Jason and Piper shared a glance, both relatively flustered. Jason nodded resolutely at Leo.

‘Understood.’

The other man grinned.

‘Great! Now, Pipes, your baby’s all ready, just come this way...’

* * *

Percy’s phone rang.

Annabeth answered, hoping that Seaweed Brain had finally realized he’d lost his phone (and had Piper’s present).

Unfortunately, of course, no such luck.

‘Hi, big brother! Can you bring peanut butter? Ella is here and I want to make her the bestest peanut butter sandwich ever!’

The voice was clearly that of a young adult male, evidently Percy’s brother. Annabeth suspected from the childish tone that the speaker probably had a disability of sorts.

‘I’m sorry, this isn’t Percy.’

Annabeth could practically hear the man frowning.

‘You aren’t Percy. What is a strange woman doing on Percy’s phone? Did you hurt my big brother? I will hit you with a big stick if you did! He’s the bestest big brother in the whole world!’

Annabeth suppressed a smile. (So, he was a great big brother. That did _not_ make her heart flutter.)

‘No, I didn’t hurt Percy. He lost his phone, and I found it.’

Close enough to the truth.

‘Oh.’

There was silence for a moment.

Annabeth decided to try her luck.

‘Can I have your address? So I can come and return Percy’s phone?’

The speaker hesitated.

A young female voice spoke instead.

‘Jackson residence. Apartment 5B, 42 Essex Street, New York, NY, 10002, USA.’

Annabeth quickly memorized the address.

‘Thank you!’

She could hear the smile in the male speaker’s voice as he replied.

‘Ella is smart _and_ pretty. Bye-bye!’

* * *

Reyna drained her hot chocolate and practically inhaled a handful of jellybeans as she walked back into her office. Christmas Eve, and she was at work, but this _was_ the FBI.

At least she wasn’t alone.

Her partner, Nico di Angelo, sat at his desk, tidying up.

He reached up and turned off his desk lamp as she entered.

‘Clocking out already?’

Nico nodded.

‘Yeah, dinner with my sister tonight, and hopefully her husband, if he gets back before we faint from hunger.’

Ah, of course. Nico’s sister was the only person that Reyna was convinced Nico actually loved. Her distant and closed-off partner had few friends. (She was one of them, but that hadn’t always been the case. They’d been partners for a couple of years, and only this year had they really become close friends.) His brother-in-law was a soldier, who’d been deployed about 9 months ago. Reyna figured that he was due to return for his 2 years of dwell time.

Reyna sat back down at her desk.

‘Have fun.’

Nico gave a rare smile, picking up his keys.

‘I will.’

He paused as he neared the door.

‘Merry Christmas, Reyna.’

She smiled back at him.

‘Merry Christmas, Nico.’

He left, and she returned to work, but her mind was on Gwen and Dakota’s delicious Christmas feasts...

Feeling unusually irresponsible and lazy, Reyna switched off her computer, and turned off her desk lamp.

Why not get to her friends’ place early?

It was Christmas Eve, after all.

* * *

Annabeth raised her hand, and knocked on the door of Apartment 5B.

A beautiful, middle-aged woman with long brown hair, streaked with grey answered. A kind smile was on her face.

‘Ah, you must be the lady who found Percy’s phone! Thank you so much for bringing it all the way here.’

Annabeth sighed.

‘Indeed I am. It’s not really a problem; he’s got my best friend’s Christmas present, and I really need that back. Plus, I’ve got a present of his for a Jason.’

Sally shook her head.

‘Let me guess. You accidentally swapped bags because they looked similar?’

Annabeth nodded ruefully.

Sally gave a half-laugh.

‘Oh, that’s so like Percy. He’s a wonderful young man...but rather absent-minded. He’ll really be wanting that back; Jason is one of his best friends, and he’s supposed to be coming over for Christmas tomorrow.’

‘It’s the same with Piper. Is Percy here?’

Sally looked apologetic.

‘No, I’m sorry. He doesn’t actually live here; he moved out quite a while ago, but he comes around a lot. I haven’t seen him today yet, though.’

Annabeth’s shoulders slumped, and Sally’s frown grew deeper.

‘But I _can_ give you his address.’

Annabeth brightened again. Perhaps this whole trek hadn’t been in vain.

‘Thank you...’

‘Sally, dear, call me Sally.’

‘Thank you, Sally.’

She opened the door wider.

‘But you must come in and have some hot chocolate and gingerbread first.’

Annabeth began to decline, but Sally was insistent.

‘Oh, really, it’s nothing. You’ve trekked all over this city to track down my son, the least I can do is give you some of his share of gingerbread!’

Before she could say another word, Sally ushered her inside.

Later, Annabeth smiled and relaxed, enjoying a (strangely blue) piece of gingerbread and a hot chocolate, listening to Percy’s mother tell her stories about her son.

Sally Jackson really was something.

* * *

Nico knocked on the door, a grin on his face, and a large box of homemade gingerbread (he could bake, though that was classified information) in his hands.

Hazel answered the door, absolutely beaming. While his 39-weeks pregnant sister insisted that she was exhausted and weighed as much as an elephant, he thought she looked beautiful and glowing. (He was sure Frank would agree, when he finally saw Hazel for the first time in months tonight.)

‘Nico!’

The half-siblings tried to embrace one another, which was rather difficult as Nico wasn’t all that much taller than her and her belly had gotten extremely large. (Somehow, she seemed even _more_ pregnant than 39 weeks, but that was probably because Hazel was tiny and Frank was practically a giant.)

Nico followed Hazel (who by now was finding it very difficult to walk) into her and Frank’s shared apartment.

‘I made turkey, of course, and a large Christmas cake. I bought a gallon of ice-cream...’

Nico smiled. Ice-cream was Frank’s favourite, even if he was lactose-intolerant.

They entered the dining area, and Nico stared at the absolutely huge quantity of food on the table.

Sure, he could eat quite a lot of his sister’s fantastic cooking, she was eating for two, and Frank had a huge appetite normally, even when he hadn’t spent nine months away without his wife’s cooking (that two week leave he’d had five months ago didn’t count), but Hazel had gone overboard...Perhaps it was the hormones. Apparently, everything could be blamed on hormones during pregnancy.

And she shouldn’t be going overboard. She should be resting!

‘Hazel...’

She narrowed her eyes.

‘I did not push myself too far, Nico. I’m _pregnant,_ not sick! Besides, I only had to put the turkey in the oven, and I made the Christmas cake almost six weeks ago, and sides aren’t even difficult, and the ice-cream is store-bought, for gods’ sake!’

He sighed, and settled for pressing a kiss to her forehead.

‘I just don’t want you to exhaust yourself.’

Hazel rolled her eyes.

‘You sound just like Frank! For gods’ sake, he’s coming home from a 9 month deployment, we haven’t seen each other in _months_ , and he makes me promise that I won’t go to the airport to meet him, because it’s winter and it’s snowing and I shouldn’t be driving, and the only thing he wants is for me and our son to be safe...Really, he’s so _sweet_... but _you_ could have driven me to the airport. He’s even been worrying about me being home alone. I mean, our neighbour Will is a _doctor_! Actually, I should introduce you two, I think you’d like each other very much...’

Nico groaned. Hazel, ever since he came out to her, was forever trying to set him up with guys. Okay, maybe his love life wasn’t going great, but really?

Hazel was still ranting.

‘...Really, he shouldn’t be worrying about me like that, he’s been in a warzone for gods’ sake! He should be worrying about himself, but obviously, he isn’t, because he’s so selfless and duty-driven and sweet and...’

Nico smiled, simply reaching out to rub Hazel’s back.

Hazel was very, very strong, and even though she missed Frank like crazy when he was deployed, she carried on, proud of her brave and duty-driven husband. But of course she worried for him and missed him, and every now and then, she would rant and rave like this. Sometimes, very occasionally, she would cry. (Nico had observed that these incidents had occurred far more frequently these 9 months, which was perfectly understandable.)

‘Hey, he’s coming back perfectly safely, Hazel. He texted us both about an hour ago; he’s landed safely at the airport. He’s coming back to see you and to meet your son, and he’s going to be here very, very soon. Nothing could keep him away from you two. You’re his family.’

Hazel wiped away a couple of tears, and rubbed her belly, resting her head on Nico’s shoulder.

She spoke softly.

‘Thanks, Nico.’ She looked up at him, eyes meeting his, and spoke quietly, but firmly. ‘But he’s looking forward to seeing you too; you’re part of our family too.’

Nico smiled softly, feeling warmth spread through him.

‘Well, he still owes me a Mythomagic rematch.’

Hazel laughed, and jogged him lightly with her elbow.

‘You two and your Mythomagic...’

Nico smirked.

‘We’ll corrupt your son too, just you wait and see.’

* * *

Annabeth slumped down in on the doorstep of Percy Jackson’s apartment. He wasn’t home.

It was almost six o’ clock, and she’d been chasing him around the city all day long. She finally got to his place, and he wasn’t home.

The gods must hate her.

That thought had only just crossed her mind when Seaweed Brain himself exited the elevator, humming Jingle Bells obnoxiously loudly to himself.

He stopped quite suddenly in the middle of the hallway when he saw her.

‘Umm...what are you doing here?’ He frowned. ‘How did you work out where I live? Are you a creepy stalker, because then I have to call the police...’

She rolled her eyes.

‘No, Seaweed Brain, I’m not a creepy stalker. Your mother told me your address.’ She held up his phone and the bag. ‘You left these with me.’

His eyes widened.

‘Wait, I lost my phone?’

Annabeth resisted the urge to facepalm. He had kelp for brains, surely.

‘Yes, yes you did. And you have my friend’s present, and I have Jason’s.’

Percy looked sheepish.

‘Oops...And you’ve been looking for me all day long?’

Okay, perhaps he was smarter than she gave him credit for.

Annabeth nodded.

‘Yes. It’s quite a long story, but I ended up at your mother’s place, and she gave me your address, so here I am.’

He ran a hand through his hair. (Annabeth _did not_ stare at him when he did that, even if he looked really good doing it.)

‘I’m so, so sorry, Wise Girl.’

He looked a little pink (Or was that her imagination?) and smiled at her.

‘How about I buy you dinner to make up for it?’

Annabeth smiled back at him. Somehow, it felt like a fair exchange.

‘It’s a deal, Seaweed Brain.’

He blushed harder at that.

‘My name’s Percy, though I guess you’d know that by now.’

‘Seaweed Brain suits you better.’

He laughed, and gestured at the two identical bags on the floor.

‘Yeah, I guess it kind of does, Wise Girl.’

‘I’m Annabeth, Annabeth Chase.’

‘Wise Girl suits you better.’

‘I guess I should take it as a compliment, right?’

He nodded.

‘Very wise, Wise Girl.’

‘Oh, stop it, Seaweed Brain.’

* * *

Julia stared at the scene in front of her.

‘Eww...’

Then, she turned, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to the ward where the other children were.

‘I saw Dr Piper kissing Santa Claus!’

Jason and Piper broke apart in shock, stared at one another, then at the disappearing girl, before breaking into laughter.

Piper recovered slightly faster.

‘I think I’d better go do some damage control...’

* * *

‘Leo Valdez! Get out here!’

Leo groaned and exited his workshop.

It was Christmas Eve.

Did they _really_ have to have this conversation on Christmas Eve?

The beautiful young woman with cinnamon-coloured hair gesticulated angrily at him.

‘The noise and pollution that your business generates is putting my customers off their food!’

‘Well, this is a _mechanic’s_ workshop! It _has_ to generate noise and pollution! You should have chosen a better spot, Sunshine!’

‘What? You’re invoking _I was here first?_ What are we, twelve?’

‘You act like it sometimes.’

‘You act like it _all_ the time.’

And with that, the haughty young woman turned and left his shop. In the middle of their argument.

Leo rolled his eyes and went back to packing up for the night.

That woman was _crazy._ That woman was driving _him_ crazy. She was _so_ going to be the death of him.

As he left his shop, he noticed that one of the statutes on the fountain outside Calypso’s cafe was wrongly aligned. His fingers itched, and his hands automatically reached for the tool belt he wore everywhere.

He had to fix it.

It was driving him crazy.

(It wasn’t because she was actually really hot and he might kind of be warming up to her, just a little bit, in some really weird way. Nope, they argued far too much for that.)

Besides, it was Christmas Eve.

Tis the season to be giving and all of that.

* * *

Reyna knocked on the cheerfully decorated door of Gwen and Dakota’s apartment, a small smile on her face.

Gwen answered.

‘Reyna? We weren’t expecting you for at least another hour!’

Reyna’s smile grew somewhat sheepish. She was often late for her friends’ gatherings.

‘I finished up early today.’

She and Gwen shared a hug. When they broke apart, Gwen grinned at the bottle of wine in Reyna’s hands.

‘Dakota will be happy about that.’

Reyna raised an eyebrow.

‘Why do you think I brought it?’

They laughed as Reyna slipped off her shoes and entered the apartment, following Gwen.

‘Bobby and Hank are already here, hopefully, Dakota’s managed to keep them out of the food...’

Reyna’s smile grew wider, even becoming a grin.

Christmas Eve dinner with her dearest friends.

What more could she want?

* * *

The doorbell rang.

Hazel’s eyes absolutely shone with excitement.

There was only one person it could be.

She walked as quickly as she could to the door, with Nico following behind.

She opened the door, revealing Frank, carrying two large bags.

He dropped them immediately.

The couple stared at one another for a few seconds, drinking in the sight of one another.

It had been far too long.

Nico smiled at the joy and love in their eyes, and the wonder in Frank’s gaze as his eyes lingered on the swell of Hazel’s belly.

Gently, hesitantly, he reached out a large hand and rested it there. A moment later, a look of immense awe passed over his face, and his grin grew even wider. The baby had kicked.

Hazel, with tears welling in her eyes, smiled back.

‘He knows that Daddy’s home.’

The look that passed over Frank’s face made Nico feel like he was going to start tearing up. (Since when had he become so sappy? Maybe Hazel’s hormones were affecting him too.)

Nico watched silently as Frank bent over to kiss his wife, and gathered her into a gentle embrace, a smile on his face. (Normally, he wasn’t so fond of PDA involving his sister...but he’d make an exception. Just this once.)

The two broke apart, eyes lingering on one another for a moment, and both still teary-eyed, turned to Nico, smiling.

Surprisingly, it was Frank who spoke first.

‘Come on, Nico, family hug!’

Hazel smiled encouragingly at him.

Nico _did not_ do hugs.

He crossed the living room, and allowed himself to be embraced by his sister and brother-in-law.

But he’d make an exception, just this once.

It was Christmas Eve, after all.


	8. Fairytale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavily inspired by Into the Woods.

_First Day_

* * *

 

Piper McLean sighed as she scrubbed the kitchen floor.

Tonight was the first night of the Ball, a three-night celebration for the coming-of-age of both Prince Jason and Prince Perseus of Olympia. It was a time of much joy for the kingdom, and a chance for eligible young ladies to perhaps meet their true love, be it one of the princes or another man at the Ball.

Piper, unlike her horrid stepsisters Drew and Khione, was not desperate for a man. She was certainly not desperate to be a princess. (Such a ridiculously pampered and public life did not interest her in the slightest.) However, she really _did_ want to go to the Ball. It would be so nice to dress up and relax and dance and socialise...but there was no way she’d be allowed to go.

Her horrible stepmother Circe and Drew and Khione would never allow it.

They’d pile her with so many chores that she wouldn’t possibly be able to go.

Besides, she thought, glancing down at the old rags that she wore, she had nothing appropriate for the occasion.

She sighed and returned to her scrubbing.

Why, oh, why, did her father have to marry such a dreadful woman?

* * *

Annabeth Chase stared at the three huge bookshelves in her room. She suppressed a sigh.

Why did she have nothing to read?

She had so many books, for gods’ sake, and yet, here she was, still short of reading material.

As supportive as her parents were of her intellect, there was no way they’d buy her _even more_ books.

At least there were such things as libraries.

Annabeth smiled.

The one in the city had the best books by far. And since everyone was so occupied with the Ball (something Annabeth really couldn’t care less about; royalty was ridiculous, they were completely unaccountable, and that new idea, democracy, seemed so much better), the library would be blissfully empty and she could spend all day there, before borrowing some more books and returning home.

Annabeth stood, grabbed a basket and a cloak, and set off along the path to the woods.

* * *

Jason sighed as he left his audience with his father.

He was slightly older than Percy (they were non-identical twins), hence, he was Crown Prince and there was the expectation, of course, that he would wed, and soon.

Princess Reyna of the neighbouring kingdom of Rome had been invited to the Ball.

His father had told him in no uncertain times that he was to court her.

Jason sighed again, and having made it to the privacy of his chambers, slumped down onto the floor.

It was not that he was completely opposed to marriage, or the Princess Reyna. They had met before, and she was a dignified, strong woman who would be a capable Queen. But, as ridiculous as it sounded, Jason wanted _choice._ He wanted _freedom_ , and _love_ , a feeling that he simply did not feel for the Princess.

Well, he thought, shaking his head to clear it of those ridiculous notions, perhaps it would develop over time.

He would do his duty.

* * *

Hazel smiled as she finished polishing the last silver fork, and set it in the box with the hundreds of others that she’d spent all morning polishing.

Working as a servant in the castle was tiring, but at least it was good, honest work that kept her clothed and fed. Honestly, the royals treated their servants very well, too. She was happy with her life.

It hadn’t always been that way.

Hazel had never known her father.

She and her mother had been extremely poor when she was a child, and her mother, overcome by bitterness, had not treated her very well.

But still, Hazel had been devastated when she’d died, only five years ago.

She’d been so lucky to get this job at the castle.

It bought her the essentials, and even paid her well enough that she could set aside a little bit of money every month towards her dream of opening her own restaurant.

Hazel’s smile grew wider.

It had even brought her a best friend. (Who made her heart do little kerthumps that she didn’t really think a best friend should. At least, not _just_ a best friend.)

Frank had been a simple castle guard when they’d first met, five years ago.

Now, he was the Princes’ personal bodyguard.

Hazel was very proud of him, and very impressed by him, if she were to be honest. Not only of his achievements, but also of the quiet confidence he’d developed, and of how he’d kept his good and sweet character despite his rapid promotion.

But, there was no time to daydream about him.

She had to start polishing the spoons.

* * *

Frank frowned as he slipped away from the door of the High Priest’s quarters, surprisingly quietly for a man of his size.

(As the Princes were safely ensconced in the castle, he was not occupied with following them around. Instead, he was double-checking all the security arrangements for the Ball.)

Octavian’s words seemed ominous. Threatening.

He’d only heard a few of them...but he didn’t like what he heard.

_‘She is ready...’_

_‘They will not know what hit them...’_

_‘Gaea will be here...’_

_‘I will be rewarded...’_

Gaea was an evil sorceress, a long-time enemy of the kingdom.

To date, she had never successfully struck at the royal family.

But if she had inside help...well, then the equation had changed completely.

Frank had never trusted Octavian.

He increased the pace of his walk.

He had work to do.

* * *

Leo hummed obnoxiously loudly to himself as he pounded on a sword that he was working on.

He finished it off, and admired his own handiwork.

Then, he sighed and put the blade down.

It was a special order for one of those adventurer-types. The sort that pretty ladies always went for.

Why didn’t the blacksmith ever get the girl?

It _so_ wasn’t fair.

An idea formed in his brain.

It was a crazy one, but he _was_ Leo Valdez, after all.

The Ball started tonight.

Three days.

Three whole days when everyone was far too occupied dancing and having fun to worry about getting their sword sharpened or their horse re-shod.

Three whole days where he could disappear and it wouldn’t matter.

His apprentice Harley was due for his trial by fire anyway.

Leo turned to the horse-sized mechanical dragon he had built, grinning.

‘What do you think, Festus? Up for a little adventure in the woods?’

The dragon creaked and squeaked a yes in reply.

Leo’s grin grew wider.

Into the woods it was.

* * *

_First Night_

* * *

 

Princess Reyna hiked up her long purple dress, pulled out the dagger that she always carried, concealed, and sliced off the bottom of her gown, so that it only reached her knees.

Satisfied, she bundled up the piece of discarded cloth, and carrying it with her, ran off into the woods. The darkness should cover her tracks, and since she’d actually arrived at the Ball, her parents and guards would be, well, off their guard.

Reyna had always been a good and dutiful daughter. She was strong, accomplished, and would make a great Queen.

She often abided by her parents’ wishes, but this time, she would not.

Prince Jason was attractive.

She could likely grow to love him.

But it was the principle of the matter.

She didn’t want to marry, not now, and not as an alliance! Not for political gain, or because it was convenient for others.

She would marry, if she did, on her own terms, just like she’d done with everything else in her life.

Her parents did not know her as well as they thought.

She obeyed their wishes because she chose to. Because she wanted to. Because she felt it to be right.

_Not_ because she was obedient.

She was Reyna, and she was strong and _nobody’s_ girl.

* * *

Thalia cursed.

Feeling unsatisfied, she cursed again. And again. And again.

It had been a stupid idea to start with.

And it had been even stupider to execute it.

Dressing up as a man to become a soldier, what had she been thinking?

She rolled her eyes at herself.

Oh, right, she wanted to prove that a woman could be as strong as any man.

And it had worked.

For a while.

But inevitably, she got caught (or, at least she thought she had- she wasn’t sticking around to see if that stupid but infuriatingly attractive fellow soldier of hers Castellan could recognize a woman when he saw one), so now she obviously was running off into the woods.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she quickened her pace.

They wouldn’t bother following her into here.

People didn’t usually go into the woods without a really good reason.

Especially not at night.

* * *

Piper sat down by the red rose bush under the tree, tucking her legs underneath her.

She’d finally finished all her chores, but it was night already. She had no time to scrounge together anything to wear to the Ball.

If her friend Lacy had not already left...then perhaps she could have begged her to lend her a dress.

Piper sighed.

Ah well. It hadn’t been meant to be; no use moping over it now.

Instead, she turned her attention to the rose bush.

‘Hi, Mom.’ Her voice got a little softer. ‘I really miss you.’

She paused for a moment, before continuing.

‘You know, tonight’s the Princes’ coming-of-age Ball.’ A small smile grew on her face. ‘If you were here, you’d force me into some really girly dress that I’d complain about for weeks, but just might secretly enjoy wearing.’

Her smile faded.

‘You know, Mom, things would be so much better if you were still here. So, so much better.’

Piper gently touched one of the blooming red roses.

‘Even if I still had to do all the chores. Even if I still couldn’t go to the Ball. If you were just here...it would be all so much better somehow.’

In the shadows, out of Piper’s field of vision, a dark-haired, unhealthily-pale-skinned young man rolled his eyes.

He was _not_ listening to any more of this mush. (Even if he kind of understood the girl’s feelings, as he felt them himself. He pushed that reminder of his mother and sister away.)

He gathered his focus, and waved his hands a bit.

Oh, the things he did for atonement...

This punishment was stupid.

_Go into the woods and help people._

Seriously, _stupid_.

He turned and left.

Piper gasped and stared in shock as a beautiful blue-green gown appeared on her body, glass slippers on her feet.

‘Oh, Mom...I didn’t ask...’ She looked fondly at the rose bush, her eyes full of tears. ‘Thank you.’

She was going to the Ball after all.

* * *

Percy swore as he entered the dark woods.

Why, oh, why, did the Ball have to fall during the full moon?

It was just his luck, he thought.

Get cursed by a vengeful and angry apprentice sorcerer. Turn into a monster every full moon. Have your incredibly important, everyone-is-watching coming-of-age Ball during a full moon.

He bit back a cry of pain as the familiar sensations started up.

He felt his skin itch and burn as the scales appeared, and his hands and feet grow webbed...

* * *

Frank nodded, a very slight smile on his face.

His plan was going exactly to plan.

He and some of his most trusted men were in the preparatory room for the baths, stripping off their clothing. As per his instructions, his men were still bickering and chatting and all-round acting like a bunch of guards with the night off while all the nobility was occupied.

Octavian had entered, stripped, and walked into the baths about thirty seconds ago.

He’d been covered in a large amount of custard.

Frank’s smile grew a little wider at that.

Hazel had done her job, and done it magnificently. (He felt guilty about potentially putting her in harm’s way, if Octavian or Gaea got away and his plan failed, but it had to be one of the servants that he trusted, and there was no-one he trusted more than Hazel.)

He signalled to his men.

They entered the baths, still acting natural. They began to break off into small groups, lowering themselves into the water.

Frank continued walking towards Octavian, simply as if he’d decided that near the Priest was a good spot for a bath.

(Which it wasn’t, because of the custard.)

Before the shorter, scrawnier man could react, Frank’s hands were around his throat.

His eyes bulged in panic. The other guards gathered around him. He started to struggle, but Frank tightened his grip ever so slightly, eyes cold and serious.

Frank was by no means a cruel or violent man, but he was loyal to his masters and driven by his duty. He’d come to consider the Princes his friends, and if anyone tried to harm them...well, they would face his wrath.

He didn’t mince his words.

‘Gaea. Where is she?’

 ‘What are you talking about? How would I have any idea?’

Frank snorted, as did some of his men.

Like he believed the Priest. Octavian was as slippery as a snake.

Frank tightened his grip ever so slightly again, voice dropping.

‘Where is she?’

Octavian broke.

His voice coming out in rasps, he revealed the truth.

‘In the marketplace...she’s kidnapped one of the fortune tellers...the one that goes by Oracle...she’s impersonating her...she’s coming for the Princes later tonight, when the guards are lax and everyone is drunk and tired and off their guard...’

Not taking his eyes off the man, but loosening his grip so that he would not suffocate, he gestured with his head towards his guards.

‘You heard them. Beckendorf, you take all the others and go arrest Gaea. Be wary; she’s dangerous, but she’ll be caught off guard.’ He glared at Octavian. ‘Leave the traitor to me.’

He released Octavian from his chokehold, and pushed him towards the preparatory room.

His men should be fine. While Gaea was dangerous, she was undoubtedly not expecting them. He’d chosen the baths of all places for this confrontation because he’d known that there would be no magical listening devices in this room, and that Octavian, since he would be naked, would have no way of communicating with his mistress.

‘Get dressed. I’m taking you to the King.’

He pointed to Octavian’s pile of clothing.

As the (now probably former) Priest dressed, Frank turned his back on him for just one moment, to grab his own clothes and get dressed.

That was his mistake.

The moment he turned back, he was hit in the chest with a vial of green liquid, which shattered on contact.

Octavian smirked.

‘Payback, Zhang.’

He blacked out.

* * *

Piper entered the Ball, glancing around the grand castle ballroom.

She was largely oblivious to the stares of the other guests.

‘She’s so beautiful...’

‘Who is she?’

‘...What a wealthy young lady she must be to afford such a dress...’

‘...It’ll be the new fashion, surely...’

Then, someone caught her attention.

A handsome young man, with blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen, approached her. She noticed his crown at the last minute. Crown Prince Jason.

‘May I have this dance?’

Piper beamed at him, face a bit flushed. (Sure, she didn’t want to be a Princess, but he was handsome and courteous and she was young, and it was just one dance...)

‘It would be my pleasure, my lord.’

He took one of her hands, and placed a hand on her waist with practiced and polished ease.

‘Please, call me Jason.’

‘I’m Piper.’

* * *

Frank came to.

He cursed.

Octavian was gone.

He looked around, confused.

And somehow, everything seemed bigger...

He looked down.

He screamed. Actually screamed.

The feet of a frog looked back at him.

He tried to move his right hand.

The right front frog foot moved.

He cursed again.

He’d been turned into a frog.

His prisoner, who was threatening the lives of his charges, had escaped.

Oh, gods, _what_ was he going to do?

He took a few deep breaths.

‘Calm down, Frank, calm down...’

He could still speak. That was good. It would be useful.

Plan. He needed a plan.

* * *

‘Hazel! Hazel! Down here!’

Hazel frowned.

That was _Frank’s_ voice.

But she hadn’t seen him since he’d asked her to dump some kind of food on Octavian’s head ‘by accident’. (She’d enjoyed doing that, but she’d never have done it if it hadn’t been Frank asking. It could get her fired, but she trusted him.)

And it wasn’t as if Frank was hard to spot. He was actually rather quick and stealthy when he wanted to be, but he was also (confusingly) rather clumsy. There was also the simple matter that Frank was a very tall, very muscular man. (A voice in her head added: _you would definitely know, considering how much time you spend staring at those muscles of his!)_

Hazel blushed and fanned her face at that thought.

‘No, really, Hazel, please look down!’

She frowned again, and did as Frank’s voice requested.

At her feet, she found a green frog...which seemed to be waving to her.

Gently, she picked up the frog in her hands, elevating it to face-height.

‘ _Frank_?’

The frog nodded.

‘Oh, thank the gods I found you, Hazel!’

She stared at him, and pinched herself to be sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

‘What...what _happened_ to you, Frank?’

The frog actually looked sheepish. The expression was so Frank that she was absolutely certain that her best friend had actually been turned into a frog.

‘Well, it’s a bit of a long story...but essentially Octavian is evil, he’s working with Gaea who’s trying to kill the Princes, and I arrested him, and hopefully the others got Gaea, but he managed to turn me into a frog and escape.’

If frogs could blush, he would be blushing.

Frank continued.

‘Hazel, you’ve got to take me down to the guardhouse, find Beckendorf, Jake Mason, Chris Rodriguez or Lee Fletcher, and tell them that Octavian’s escaped.’ He looked very serious. ‘We need to find him right away. He’s a major threat. Hopefully, they managed to get Gaea...Dang it, I shouldn’t have let him get away! Never turn your back, that’s the first thing that you learn...‘

He looked and sounded so ashamed that it almost seemed to cause Hazel physical pain.

‘Frank! People make mistakes every now and then, you’re allowed to sometimes. It doesn’t make you a failure. Besides, if you hadn’t been so diligent and clever and such a good guard, maybe Gaea would have succeeded by now!’

He smiled wanly at Hazel.

‘Thanks, Hazel.’ His expression turned more serious. ‘I hate to order you around, but we really do have to get to the guardhouse as soon as possible.’

She nodded, and started as running as fast as she could down the corridor.

‘After you’ve done your job, we’re going to go change you back, Frank. I’ve heard about a sorcerer in the woods...maybe he can help us.’

Frank wanted to protest about her going into the woods at night (it was _dangerous_ ), and he was elated and his heart was all weirdly kerthumpy from her use of _us,_ but he was also kind of freaking out about being a frog, and definitely freaking out about Gaea and Octavian, so he said nothing.

* * *

_Second Day_

* * *

 

The morning after the first night of the Ball, Annabeth was on her way through the woods, basket in hand, to return the books she’d borrowed the day before and borrow even more.

She was about halfway there when she suddenly stopped and stared.

There was a young man, in sopping wet clothes, sitting on the path, next to a stream. He had dark hair and green eyes.

She recognized him as Prince Perseus, though she considered him to be no more significant than any other young man of the kingdom. (Though, he was exceptionally handsome. Annabeth shut down that train of thought immediately.)

She approached.

‘What in the world are you thinking, sitting out in the woods, alone, sopping wet? Is your head full of kelp?’

He stared at her.

‘Huh?’

How eloquent.

‘And to think, you’re supposed to be capable of running the kingdom, Seaweed Brain! Instead you’re sitting out here, wet, and I’ll bet you skipped most of, if not all, the Ball last night! How utterly irresponsible!’

She flung her hands up in the air.

‘Now, if only democracy would catch on! Choice! Accountability, it’s so much better!’

Percy eyed the gesticulating, ranting young woman warily, rather offended.

Sure, she might not be the nicest person he’d ever met, but she did seem to be very, very clever. And she had a different way of looking at things...

His parents had barred him from telling anyone outside their family of his curse. That had, unfortunately, restricted him in terms of asking others for help to break it.

But surely it didn’t matter if he told one peasant girl.

She seemed so wise, so clever, so utterly different from the ridiculous royal advisors in the court.

Perhaps she could help him.

‘Umm...Wise Girl?’

She turned to him, brow furrowed.

‘What did you call me?’

He held his hands up in a placating gesture.

‘Woah, it’s a compliment!’ He took a deep breath. ‘Look, how about we make a deal. You help me with something, and I’ll...I’ll give you free books for life, and do my best to increase democracy in the kingdom.’

(He’d noticed the large pile of books in her basket. He wasn’t _that_ stupid.)

It was a pretty crazy promise, but he and his family were kind of desperate.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

‘What’s the something?’

He sighed.

Now was the big moment.

‘I’m cursed. Every full moon, I turn into a monster. It’s a big secret, so please don’t tell anyone.’

She thought for a moment, looking him up and down.

Annabeth was clever. She was sure she could break a curse. Besides, free books for life and a chance for democracy? She’d be crazy not to take the deal.

She nodded.

‘Fine. You have a deal. I swear on my honour as a scholar to uphold my end, and to not reveal your secret.’

He smiled at her.

‘And I swear...’ She wouldn’t care about his word as a prince, that much was clear. ‘On my honour as a man to keep my end of the deal.’

She nodded again, satisfied, and sat down beside him.

‘Now, tell me about your curse.’

* * *

Hazel stepped carefully over a tree root, trying not to disturb Frank the frog too much.

They’d searched almost all night, and it was now morning, and no luck so far. No sign of the sorcerer.

She held up the bucket filled with water that Frank sat in. (She’d put him in the bucket after leaving the barracks, when she’d realized he’d been drying out.)

He looked a little sad. (Thank goodness the guards had captured both Gaea and Octavian, or he would be beside himself with worry.)

Hazel sighed. Thinking about capturing the sorceress and the traitor reminded her of something that had been in the back of her mind all night.

‘I still don’t see why you didn’t speak to the guards yourself, Frank. We were lucky that I talked to Beckendorf, since Silena and I are friends, he knows me quite well; the others may not have believed me...’

Frank pouted. (Frog Frank was absolutely adorable when he pouted, Hazel decided. She smiled.)

‘I didn’t want them to see me like this...’

Hazel’s smile faded somewhat. Oh, _Frank_...

She took him out of the bucket and locked eyes with him, gaze gentle but firm.

‘Frank, they wouldn’t have judged. I’m sure they might even have thought better of you, doing your duty while...well, a frog.’

He shook his head sadly.

‘No, they would have laughed.’

‘They would have, yes...but not cruelly, Frank.’ She smiled softly at him. ‘They respect you and follow you because you are _Frank_ , not because of your position or your dignity or anything like that.’

She finally seemed to be getting through to him, because he smiled a froggy smile in return.

Hazel’s smile grew broader, and she gently stroked his back with a finger.

‘Thanks, Hazel. For all of this. You’re the best.’

She flushed and fanned her face with her free hand for a moment, before placing him back into his bucket.

‘You’re my best friend, Frank. Of course I’d help you.’

He smiled.

‘Yeah, what are best friends for? Carrying you through the woods in search of a sorcerer when you get turned into a frog, of course!’

She laughed, and the two of them continued their search.

* * *

Piper sighed as she scrubbed the floor, again.

Oh, what a change it was from last night.

Her smile grew dreamy as she thought of Jason.

Not only was he incredibly handsome, he was also noble and an absolute gentleman. (Not a stuck-up Prince at all, but simply a good man.)

They’d danced and talked and laughed through the night...

She looked forward to returning to the Ball tonight. She looked forward to seeing _him_ again.

(Thankfully, she had not been recognised, which she found rather shocking. It seemed her stepmother and stepsisters were so convinced that she would not possibly be at the Ball that they could not see what was in front of them.)

But if she wanted to go tonight (and oh, did she- what she wouldn’t give to be with him) and see Jason she had to finish all her chores first.

She returned to scrubbing the floor with renewed vigour.

* * *

Jason sighed as he gazed out the window from his chambers.

His mind was occupied with Piper, that beautiful-in-all-ways lady that he’d met last night.

Who was she?

He had never seen her before, never.

And he’d met most of the nobility and upper class in his kingdom and neighbouring ones.

Yet he’d never seen this mysterious woman with ever-changing eyes, and a free and joyful spirit.

Maybe that was part of the reason he was drawn to her. Not all, definitely, but part of it.

Freedom.

She represented freedom.

She was free, and somehow, he felt she could help him to be too.

Jason sighed and buried his face in his hands.

If only it were that simple...

He was supposed to marry Princess Reyna (who had appeared at the Ball, but disappeared soon after, to where, he did not know. Her guards and parents were frantic, but it was widely suspected that she had run away.)

_But it was that simple,_ a voice in his head said.

_You might well be falling in love with Piper_ , _even if it has only been one night._

_You know you will never feel anything like that for Princess Reyna._

_The Princess evidently does not want to marry you anyway._

_It is simple, Jason,_ the voice in his head declared, louder and more firmly.

A small smile grew on his face.

‘It is that simple. It _is_.’

* * *

Reyna smiled at the young woman with short black hair and blue eyes who sat beside her, the two women enjoying a meal of rabbit that they had caught themselves.

Thalia really was something.

She’d pretended to be a man just because she’d wanted to be a soldier.

How many times had Reyna wished that she could do what men could? How many times had she wished to be a capable warrior (at least publically instead of in secret)? How many times had she wished to rule and to lead?

After running into one another in the woods and having a quick duel, the two young women had become fast friends, sharing stories and getting along like a barn on fire.

Thalia broke their comfortable silence.

‘You know, I’d love to have seen the look on Castellan’s face when he realized that I’m Thalia, not Thomas.’

Reyna chuckled. She hadn’t felt so light, so free, for a long time.

‘Oh, it would be nothing compared to the looks on my parents’ faces when they found out what I’ve done!’

They both laughed, but guilt gnawed at them both.

_I lied. I tricked everyone._

_I fled my duty._

They shared a glance, and knew the other understood.

Unbeknownst to them, there was another watching who understood the two young women’s feelings.

That horrible feeling of guilt. Guilt for your actions, no matter how justified they felt in your heart. Maybe a little guilt for being who you are.

Nico sighed internally.

That guilt was why he was really here fulfilling his punishment. He’d never been one to listen to figures of authority, but here he was, doing this ridiculous penance, because he felt so, so guilty.

When Bianca had...had passed, he’d been so _angry_ with Percy, because he’d promised to keep her safe.

In that whole stupid maelstrom of emotions he’d felt about that Prince, he’d cursed him.

He regretted doing it now, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He couldn’t break the curse. Someone else would have to.

Holding grudges must have been his fatal flaw, because he couldn’t bring himself to help Percy break that curse, couldn’t bring himself to even tell him how to do it.

These two women, too, they knew what they’d done was wrong (though, Nico recognized, not as wrong as what he’d done), but they were unapologetic for it. Felt guilty, yes, but unapologetic. It was done. What could they do about it now?

Besides, they’d felt it to be the right thing to do, at least at the time and under the circumstances.

He felt a sense of kinship with them, even if they’d never spoken a word in their lives.

Perhaps it was time to learn from their example.

Accept his mistake.

Stop wallowing in his feelings.

Move on.

_Do something._

Back in the clearing, Thalia said something inappropriate, and Reyna laughed, and the two of them smiled at each other. The looks in their eyes said they’d always feel guilty, but they didn’t regret their actions.

Nico felt himself smiling too.

* * *

Leo, accompanied by Festus, of course, had absolutely no idea where he was.

He was still somewhere in the kingdom of Olympia, and in the woods, but apart from that, he had no clue regarding his location.

And that was totally awesome.

He squinted, trying to make out what was in front of him.

For some reason, things had become very misty in the last few minutes, which made no sense whatsoever. It was still day time!

He could just make out a thicket of thorns. A very thick thicket of thorns.

Leo grinned.

It was practically inviting him to find out what was on the other side.

He fiddled with his tool belt, and pulled out a strange contraption, which somehow unfolded into a strange-looking saw.

‘Come on, Festus, let’s see what this bad boy can do!’

* * *

Annabeth walked into the little inn where she’d arranged to meet Percy, a book she’d borrowed from the library in her hands.

She’d searched all day, but she’d found it.

He looked up at her, pouting.

Somehow, it seemed to be more of bored child’s pout than a spoiled prince’s.

‘I’m so, so _bored_!’

She rolled her eyes.

‘Stop being a child, Seaweed Brain. It took me ages to find information about your particular curse.’

He brightened immediately. Annabeth pretended that the grin that he gave her didn’t make her want to melt.

Instead, she just sighed and shook her head, sitting down opposite him.

‘We’ll need a glass shoe, the hair of a frog, and the eyelash of a 600-year-old woman.’

Percy’s expression was priceless.

‘ _What_?’

She nodded.

‘That was my reaction too, when I first read it.’

‘Where in the hell are we going to find those?’

She shrugged.

‘Beats me. The woods are probably a good place to start.’ She smiled wryly. ‘It seems you can find all sorts of strange things in the woods, like sopping wet Princes.’

He pouted again.

‘I thought you knew everything, Wise Girl!’

She simply rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of there.

(And pretended that his compliment didn’t make her heart flutter like never before.)

* * *

_Second Night_

* * *

 

Hazel sighed, put down Frank’s bucket, and flopped downwards, leaning against a tree, spent and weary.

Frank immediately reached over the top of the bucket and started talking.

‘You’re exhausted, I know, I’m so sorry, Hazel. We should go back-‘

‘No, Frank! Yes, I’m tired, but you’re stuck as a frog because we can’t find the sorcerer and it just makes me feel so _useless_.’

He scowled.

‘You’re not useless! You’ve been helping me so much, Hazel! I’d never even have thought of the sorcerer without you, let alone managed to cover so much ground searching or even catch Octavian in the first place!’

He hopped up onto her shoulder, and she gently took him in her hands.

He locked eyes with her, and took a deep breath.

‘Hazel, if I’m stuck as a frog, can you make sure the Princes are safe for me? Just leave me somewhere by a swamp, and I’m sure I’ll get by-‘

‘Frank!’ Hazel seemed almost angry. ‘I’m _not_ going to leave you here. If you’re stuck as a frog, which you _aren’t_ going to be, because we’re going to find some way to break this curse, even if I have to learn sorcery myself, _I’ll_ look after you.’

‘I can’t ask you do to that for me, Hazel.’

She looked firmly at him, gold eyes shining.

‘No, but I will do it. You’ve helped me so much, Frank, at least I can return the favour. Trust me, I’ll do anything to keep you safe.’

He smiled a froggy smile.

‘I know...You’re my best friend, Hazel.’

She smiled in return.

‘And you’re mine.’

Nico watched the young woman stroke the frog’s back gently, watched the two of them smile and laugh together.

He felt sorry for them.

He really did.

They were unbelievably and ridiculously sappy, and it should have made him sick, but it didn’t.

In some stupidly twisted way, it reminded him that there was good in the world, seeing the trust and friendship and love they shared, and made him feel a little less bitter. (Just a little.)

It was stupid, but Nico was a romantic at heart, really, really deep down, so he stepped out of the shadows and into their view.

They both turned to him, falling silent.

The girl, Hazel, cupped her hands around the frog protectively. The frog, Frank, glared at Nico as if he would kill him if he hurt the girl.

Nico held his hands up in a reassuring gesture.

‘I mean you no harm. I just wish to tell you that if a Prince is turned into a frog, he requires a kiss from a Princess to change back.’

He turned to leave again.

‘Think about it, you’ll figure it out.’

And he disappeared, literally, leaving a very confused Frank and Hazel behind.

Realization slowly dawned on their faces.

Their eyes widened.

Both blushed.

Hazel fanned her face, while Frank looked down at his feet.

‘Umm...look, Hazel, I’m sure we can...find another way...so you don’t have to...well, you know...’

She placed him on a nearby rock, and knelt down so they were at the same eye-level.

She smiled at him, cheeks still pink.

‘You make a very handsome frog, Frank.’

And she kissed him.

* * *

Leo stared in wonder at the (really hot) young woman who was lying in a very old-looking bed, completely unconscious.

Okay, he’d expected there to be something interesting behind all those thorns, but a crumbling castle containing a bed with a sleeping girl in it? That was definitely not the first thing that came to mind.

He grinned.

Well, there was only one thing to do.

He bent over and kissed the girl on the lips.

She stirred. Her eyes opened, and she stared at him.

His grin grew wider. Any minute now.. _.Everyone_ knew what happened when a hero rescued a damsel-in-distress.

But she didn’t kiss him, or proclaim her undying love for him or anything like that.

Instead, she clenched her fists and yelled at the sky.

‘Really? Not only did I have to put up with that stupid curse, and lose years and years and years and everyone I ever cared about, but you have to send this charboiled runt of a boy to wake me up? Have you no shame?’

Leo was rather offended. Sure, he was scrawny and still had a little ash on him, but...

‘Hey, Sunshine, I’m right here, you know!’

She growled at him like a cornered animal.

‘Do _not_ call me Sunshine! Just go away!’

And she stormed off out of the thicket, through the pathway he _cut out himself_ , by the way.

‘Oh, come on, you at least owe me some kind of explanation! I saved you! Doesn’t that mean I deserve, you know, a kiss at least?’

Although, he wasn’t sure he even wanted a kiss from his girl.

She was haughty and stuck-up and rude and annoying, even if she was really beautiful.

He sat down on her bed and stared at Festus.

‘Stop looking at me like that.’

_Creak, creak, squeak._

He rolled his eyes.

‘Yeah, I know she doesn’t have an inkling of what the world’s like now.’

_Squeak. Creak._

He crossed his arms.

‘So what if it’s dangerous? I saved her once; I don’t have to do it again. I’ve got a strictly one-per-customer limit.’

_Squeak, creak, creak, creak!_

He flung his hands up in exasperation.

‘Fine! Have it your way! I’ll follow that crazy woman!’

_Squeak._

He glared at Festus.

‘But that doesn’t mean I like her. Not one bit.’

_Squeak, squeak._

_(Of course not.)_

* * *

Reyna and Thalia spoke quietly with one another.

It was night, and they should be trying to sleep (or, Reyna should be trying to- Thalia had first watch), but they simply couldn’t.

They’d done what they’d done (and they didn’t regret it), but what now?

When they were caught, they’d have to go back and face the consequences.

They couldn’t live out here in the woods forever.

They couldn’t run away from their supposed fates forever.

An idea began to form in Thalia’s mind.

A slow smile grew on her face.

Maybe they _could_ run away forever. Maybe they _could_ change their fates. Make their own fate.

‘Reyna, have you heard of Amazonia?’

A slow smile began to grow on the other woman’s face.

Amazonia. The matriarchal kingdom, ruled by Queen Hylla and her right-hand-woman, Lady Artemis.

If they could make it there...then they could be free. Then they could be who they wanted to be, do what they wanted to do.

The two girls shared a grin.

‘It’s worth a shot.’

Thalia shook her head in response to Reyna.

‘Nah, it’s worth every shot we’ve got.’

* * *

Piper stumbled through the woods, holding her dress up so that it only reached her knees.

Damn it, she’d been so distracted, enjoying her time with Jason, that she’d left it far too late to leave. (She _had_ to be home before her stepmother and stepsisters.)

And to make it even worse, she’d lost one of her shoes in the mad rush down the palace steps.

She held the other one in her hand now. (Running in just one heel was pretty much impossible.)

Piper wasn’t watching where she was going, and suddenly found herself barrelling into another figure.

The two young women untangled themselves, and stood, before stopping in shock.

‘Annabeth?’

‘Piper?’

They were friends of a sort, not terribly close, but friendly towards one another.

In unison, they both spoke.

‘What are you doing here?’

They both smiled at that.

Annabeth spoke first.

‘I guess you were going to the Ball?’

Piper nodded.

‘Yes, but I have no idea what you’re doing here...’

Annabeth smiled wryly.

‘I’m breaking a curse.’

Suddenly, she stared at Piper’s shoe.

Before Piper could ask about anything, Annabeth spoke.

‘Piper, is that a glass shoe?’

Piper nodded slowly, rather confused.

Annabeth’s smile grew wider.

‘May I have it?’

Again, Piper nodded. Why not? What use was a single glass shoe to her? She handed Annabeth the shoe.

The blonde woman grinned at her.

‘Thank you!’

Then, she ran off, before Piper could say anything.

Piper could only stare at her in bewilderment.

Then, she recalled that she had to hurry home, and gathered up her skirts, running with renewed effort.

She could always ask Annabeth what in the world was going on later.

* * *

_Third Day_

* * *

 

‘Frank?’

‘Prince Percy?’

Annabeth, Percy, Frank and Hazel all stared at each other, the daylight revealing the looks of surprise on their faces.

It was Percy who broke the silence.

‘Wait, aren’t you the girl who dropped that custard on Octavian? I’ve got to thank you, that diversion was really-‘

Annabeth jabbed him with her elbow.

‘Seaweed Brain!’

He shut up.

(Part of Frank wanted to admonish her for potentially harming his Prince. The rest of Frank was intrigued by their relationship.)

They all kept staring at one another in confusion.

‘What are _you_ doing in the woods?’

They’d all spoken in unison.

Frank blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, while Hazel’s cheeks pinked and she smiled sheepishly. (She’d just spoken over a _Prince_ , for gods’ sake!)

Percy gave a sort of grin, while Annabeth simply gestured for Frank and Hazel to explain first.

Frank and Hazel relayed their entire story, telling of Gaea, and Octavian, and Frank being turned into a frog, and coming to the woods to try and find the sorcerer. They left out the details about how he actually got turned back, though.

Percy stared at them, impressed. Even Annabeth seemed a little impressed.

‘Wow...’ Percy actually clapped Frank on the back. ‘Great work, Frank!’

He blushed, and would have looked at his feet if he hadn’t been trained better.

‘I was just doing my job, Prince Percy.’

(Percy had long forced him to give up on calling him ‘my lord’. Prince Percy was their compromise.)

The Prince grinned at him, but his eyes were serious.

‘No, you went above and beyond your duty. Seriously, Frank, I commend you and thank you greatly.’

The guard went even redder. Hazel beamed, eyes shining with pride.

Percy turned to her, smiling.

‘And you, Miss...’

Hazel flushed.

‘Hazel, just Hazel, my lord.’

‘Please, call me Percy. Or Prince Percy if you must.’

She bobbed her head.

‘Of course, my...Prince Percy.’

The Prince continued.

‘You’ve shown great loyalty and courage, coming to the woods with your _friend_ to help him break his curse.’

The implication in the way he said friend couldn’t be missed.

Hazel and Frank flushed even more. Hazel started fanning her face.

Well, yes, after the events of last night, they were more than friends, but, well, he was their Prince...

Annabeth jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow again.

‘Seaweed Brain!’

He pouted, but obeyed.

‘Anyway, I think you two should get back to the castle.’

Hazel and Frank’s eyes grew wide, and they shared a panicked look.

‘Oh no-‘

‘Prince Jason-‘

‘-I have to polish all the spoons-‘

‘-What if he’s managed to get himself-‘

‘-I’m so sorry, my lord, please don’t let them blame Frank-‘

‘-It’s not her fault, I asked her to come with me, don’t let her get fired-‘

Percy held up his hands.

‘No, no, I didn’t mean go back to do your work! I meant to go and get some food and rest; you must be exhausted!’ He reached out towards the two. ‘Hazel, I doubt you’ve even been missed, with so many extra servants running about the castle due to the Ball. Frank, Jason’s safe, he’s in the middle of the castle, for gods’ sake. He doesn’t need you following him around all the time, particularly with all of your excellent extra security arrangements.’ He smiled reassuringly at the two. ‘You won’t be fired, I promise.’

Frank and Hazel smiled at Percy, both a little flushed, still.

‘Thank you, Prince Percy.’

‘We’re very, very grateful.’

They shared a glance.

‘Actually, if we don’t have to go back to the castle, we can help you with whatever you’re doing here.’

‘That is, if you would like us to, of course.’

It was Percy and Annabeth’s turn to share a glance.

_We can’t tell them too..._

_I trust them..._

_But we don’t really need two extra people..._

_True, and they’re really tired..._

They shook their heads.

‘No, we’re fine. Go, you two, have a break.’ Percy grinned. ‘That’s an order.’

Frank actually bowed and Hazel curtseyed, though they were both smiling.

They turned to leave, but Annabeth spoke up.

‘Wait! Frank, I need one of your hairs.’

He looked incredibly confused at that, as did Hazel and Percy, but plucked out a couple of hairs and handed them to Annabeth anyway.

She smiled at him in thanks.

‘Now, go, and rest.’

She whispered in Percy’s ear as the couple left.

‘Hair from a frog.’

Realization dawned on the royal’s face.

‘Smart, Wise Girl, really, really smart.’

She blushed.

Percy didn’t notice, luckily, because he was too busy staring at Frank and Hazel’s retreating backs. The two were holding hands, and there was gentleness, a simple joy for them, in his eyes.

Something fluttered in Annabeth’s belly.

He’d been very kind to them.

She really had misjudged this Prince, hadn’t she?

* * *

Jason entered the woods, a pack on his back with supplies and Piper’s lost glass slipper.

He’d had to wait until daybreak before he could leave the castle, but he’d managed.

(Luckily, Frank was nowhere to be seen. If his faithful guard had been around, Jason probably wouldn’t have gotten away, at least without Frank. He hoped that the guy was taking some time off, he could be far too worried about his duty sometimes.)

He wasn’t going back. Not until he found Piper.

(Tonight was the last night of the Ball. If he didn’t find her now, he might never see her again after tonight...)

He’d asked around, and apparently, she was seen running into the woods, both nights.

So into the woods he went.

He hadn’t been in the woods very long at all before he stumbled upon a dark-haired young man sitting under a tree, moping.

Jason watched from the shadows as the young man tossed what appeared to be a ball of darkness from one hand to another, talking to himself.

A sorcerer.

He was a sorcerer.

‘...Why couldn’t it have been simple? Why couldn’t I have fallen in love with a nice sorceress? Or why couldn’t I have been a guard and met a servant girl or something?’

He tossed the shadow ball at a tree in frustration.

Jason prevented himself from moving with effort. Movement would give him away.

‘But no, I had to go fall for the stupidly handsome and stupidly noble Prince Percy...’ His voice broke. ‘And then _Bianca_ had to happen, and I had to lose it and curse him...’

The sorcerer flopped back down onto a rock.

Jason’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

This sorcerer was _in love_ with his brother?

This sorcerer _cursed_ his brother?

He should be furious. He should run him through with his sword or something.

But he didn’t feel that way.

The sorcerer just seemed so forlorn, so utterly broken, that he couldn’t.

Besides, he seemed so _young._

Jason took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadows.

Instantly, the sorcerer jumped up, calling another ball of shadows to his hands.

‘How much did you hear?’ He seemed to recognise him, and panic flashed in his eyes briefly. ‘Prince Jason.’

Jason held up his hands.

‘Definitely enough. I know.’

The sorcerer tensed. Jason took another deep breath.

‘But I forgive you.’

The sorcerer looked incredulously at him.

‘You _forgive_ me for cursing your brother?’

Jason nodded. He wasn’t completely sure why he felt that way, but he did.

‘Yes, I do. I’m not saying what you did was right, because it definitely wasn’t, but I forgive you.’

The dark-haired man shook his head.

‘You’re as bad as your brother.’

Jason decided to risk speaking again.

‘And if anyone gives you trouble for being interested in men, come to the castle and find me. I will not tolerate discrimination when I’m king.’

The sorcerer scoffed.

‘You, Prince Jason, are absolutely ridiculous. The Court will never agree with you.’ He stood to leave, and walked to the edge of the clearing, into the shadows.

He turned back and locked eyes with Jason. Jason couldn’t quite place the maelstrom of emotions in his eyes.

‘But thank you, Prince Jason.’ He turned away again. ‘My name’s Nico, by the way.’

And he disappeared, leaving Jason blinking in the sunlight.

* * *

_Third Night_

* * *

 

‘Here.’

Leo pulled a strange contraption out of his tool belt and lit the pile of wood that Calypso had been trying to light for the past hour. (They were pitifully lost; not even his contraptions were of any help. Leo suspected there was some magic in the woods.)

On the other side of the clearing, his own fire burned brightly.

She glared at him.

‘I don’t need your help.’

He scoffed.

‘Oh, really, Sunshine? You’ve been smashing those rocks together for the past hour.’

She rolled her eyes.

‘My name is Calypso, not Sunshine.’

He smirked at her.

‘You’re really warming up to me, aren’t you? I’m Leo, Leo Valdez, blacksmith extraordinaire.’

‘ _Right_. In your dreams.’

And she turned away and ignored him again.

* * *

She could not stand it anymore, watching that stupid blacksmith completely mangle his attempts to prepare food.

It was a complete waste, and he was going to starve if he didn’t eat and they didn’t get out of here anytime soon.

Picking up the spare bowl that he’d pulled out of his seemingly-magical tool belt and given her, she tipped some stew that she’d prepared into it, and walked over to his half of the clearing.

‘Here.’

He looked up at her and grinned. A genuine grin. It was still manic, but seemed less annoying. Marginally. This Leo Valdez would _always_ be annoying, that she was sure of.

‘Thank you, Sunshine.’

She smirked.

‘You’re really warming up to me.’

He waggled his eyebrows at her.

‘In your dreams, Sunshine.’

* * *

Jason sighed. He’d searched all day long, following the paths, trying to find out exactly where his Piper was from.

He’d found a couple of villages, but he hadn’t dared go into them, for fear of being recognized.

He figured that her family was not immensely wealthy, for she wore the same dress to both nights of the Ball, and had dropped a hint or two about not feeling worthy of him (which he thought were ridiculous). But he didn’t care. Not at all. Piper was strong, she was kind, she was supportive and _herself._ Nothing else mattered.

He was about to slump down on the forest floor for a rest when he heard voices.

His brow furrowed. He recognized one of those voices.

Percy.

He glanced up. The moon hadn’t risen yet. Percy would still be himself.

Guilt gnawed at him. Should he reveal ’s secret?

No, he decided. Percy was his brother, but it was Nico’s secret to tell. It was not his place.

Percy and a young blonde woman rounded the corner of the path, both laughing and teasing one another.

They stopped and stared when they saw Jason.

‘Jason, what are you doing here?’

He smiled wryly.

‘I could ask the same of you.’

Percy blushed a little, glancing at the young woman beside him. Luckily, she did not notice, occupied with regarding Jason with her cool grey eyes.

‘We, Annabeth and I, are trying to break my curse.’

Jason nodded.

‘I am searching for a lady by the name of Piper.’

Annabeth gasped.

Both Princes stared at her.

‘I know her!’ She slapped Percy on the arm. Jason raised an eyebrow, but focused on Annabeth. ‘Seaweed Brain, weren’t you listening last night? That’s how I got the glass shoe! From Piper!’

Jason turned to her. If she knew Piper...then he had a chance. He could find her, and announce his intentions to court her formally!

‘Miss Annabeth-‘

‘Just Annabeth.’

‘Annabeth, could you please inform me where Piper lives?’

She regarded him with sharp, cold eyes.

‘And what are your intentions regarding her?’

Jason flushed, but held her gaze.

‘Formal courtship, with the eventual intention of marriage.’

Percy’s eyes boggled. Jason ignored him. They could discuss this later.

Annabeth regarded him a moment longer.

‘Fine. But I warn you, if you ever cause her harm...’

He nodded resolutely.

‘I know. Thank you.’

Annabeth dug around in her pockets and pulled out paper and a pencil, scribbling down an address on the piece of paper. She handed it to Jason, who grinned and shouldered his pack.

He nodded at Annabeth, and shared a glance with Percy.

The look in both Princes’ eyes suggested that they had a _lot_ to talk about when they met up again.

Percy swore that his normally-serious brother winked at him as he left, and gestured ever so slightly towards Annabeth.

* * *

Annabeth and Percy walked side by side through the woods, in silence.

Percy broke it.

‘Umm...Wise Girl...thanks. For helping me.’

She shrugged.

‘We made a deal.’

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

‘Yeah...but thanks for helping me anyway. Like really, thanks. It means a lot to me.’

She smiled at him. His heart fluttered.

‘You’re welcome, Seaweed Brain.’ She took a deep breath. It stung her pride to do this, but it was necessary. ‘And I’m sorry for being really rude to you at first. You’re...you’re a better person than I thought you were.’

He grinned at her. Annabeth felt butterflies.

‘Thanks, Wise Girl.’

She jabbed him with her elbow.

‘But democracy’s still better.’

They laughed.

And promptly stopped when they stumbled upon a curly-haired young man and a young woman with cinnamon-coloured hair kissing furiously.

Percy covered his eyes.

‘Eep.’

Annabeth rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm.

‘You’re not twelve!’

The couple broke apart, the woman blushing furiously and the man just ever-so-slightly embarrassed.

The man spoke first.

‘Could we help you with anything? Because if we can’t, could you move along? We’re kind of in the middle of something here.’

The woman slapped him.

‘Leo!’ She turned to Percy and Annabeth. ‘Ignore him.’

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a glance.

What an odd couple.

Percy spoke up.

‘Well, unless you know where to find the eyelash of a 600-year-old woman-‘

The woman with cinnamon-coloured hair turned to Leo.

‘What year did you say it was again?’

‘1756.’

She plucked out a couple of her eyelashes and placed them in Percy’s palm.

‘That makes me 600. There you go.’

Leo grinned at her.

‘You look really good for 600.’

‘Shut up.’

Percy and Annabeth just stared. They stared even harder when a horse-sized metal dragon slinked out of the shadows.

Leo turned to the dragon.

‘Oh, there you are Festus!’ He crossed his arms. ‘Oh, stop being such a big baby! It’s just a bit of PDA!’

The woman with him didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Percy and Annabeth backed away slightly.

Instead, she simply turned to them.

‘Would you be able to tell us how to get back to the city? We’ve been lost for quite a while now...’

Wordlessly, Annabeth pointed.

‘Just go that way until you hit the path, then follow it in the opposite direction of the stream’s flow...’

Percy and Annabeth glanced at one another, and decided to just go.

Those two were _crazy_.

* * *

Annabeth grinned as monster-Percy changed back to normal Percy, under the light of the full moon.

He stared at himself in wonderment for a moment, before breaking into an identical grin, and reaching out and hugging her.

‘It worked!’

She hugged him back for a moment, before they realized what they were doing, and broke apart, flustered.

Percy rubbed his arm.

‘I guess I owe you a lot of books...and I’ll work on that democracy thing.’

She smiled back wanly.

Somehow, she didn’t really like his words. (Not that books and democracy weren’t amazing; it was just the sense of finality. That it was over. Their...friendship, if that’s what it could be called, just seemed to be ending.)

Annabeth, though, had never been one to just let things work out on their own. She was all for taking charge and making your own destiny.

Her smile grew wider.

‘Yeah, you do, and I expect regular updates, in person, Seaweed Brain.’

His eyes lit up and he grinned.

‘Of course, Wise Girl.’

They stood there for a moment, in comfortable silence, just smiling at one another.

Then a figure, clothed all in black, stepped out of the shadows.

Percy instantly tensed.

‘Nico.’

The dark-haired young man nodded.

‘Percy.’

Annabeth glanced at the two young men, and somehow linked all the dots.

‘You’re the sorcerer who cursed Percy.’

Her voice was level and cool; it was always unwise to anger a sorcerer. And Percy had hinted that there was a reason why this sorcerer had cursed him.

‘And you’re the girl who helped him break the curse.’

Annabeth frowned. He didn’t sound angry, just sad and bitter.

Nico took a deep breath, and faced Percy.

‘I’m sorry for cursing you.’

Percy looked surprised, then sad and apologetic.

‘No, I’m sorry about Bianca, Nico.’

The sorcerer flinched at the mention of that name (Annabeth made a note to ask Percy about it later), but he gave a tiny smile.

‘You make it really hard to stay upset at you, you know.’

Percy cracked a small grin.

‘Yeah, I’m just naturally charming like that.’

Nico gave a bitter laugh.

There was silence for a moment, before Percy spoke cautiously.

‘So...are we good now?’

Nico shook his head slowly. Percy looked wary.

‘No, not yet. One more thing to clear the air.’ He took a deep breath. ‘For a long time, I had a crush on you. I just wanted you to know.’

Percy and Annabeth stared at him. Then at one another. Then at him again.

They were in shock. Of course they were, men fancying men or women fancying women was not exactly something spoken about or terribly accepted in their kingdom. Things might be changing, slowly, but still...

Percy gaped.

‘So, you mean you’re-‘

‘Yes, I prefer knights over ladies, so to speak.’

Percy was still gaping, but Annabeth smiled at him.

‘There’s nothing wrong with that, Nico. Don’t let others tell you so; it’s a completely ridiculous notion. Equality is the most important social value, and you _are_ equal.’

He smiled back at her.

‘Thank you, Annabeth.’

(He was a sorcerer; of course he knew her name. Besides, he’d been following them for a while now.)

Annabeth nudged Percy, who had finally closed his mouth and crashed back to Earth.

Percy locked eyes with Nico, who was relieved to find that it didn’t quite seem to make skeletal butterflies dance in his stomach anymore.

‘I...I can’t pretend that I’m not shocked, Nico...but Annabeth’s right, like always. There’s nothing wrong with being who you are...’ He took a deep breath. ‘We...we were good friends once, Nico, and I hope we’ll be again. And friends protect one another. So, if anyone gives you any trouble, I’ll do everything I can to help you.’

Nico smiled. Actually smiled.

‘Your brother already offered the same. Thank you, Percy.’

Percy grinned, quirking up an eyebrow. He and Jason had a _lot_ to talk about.

‘It sounds like Jason.’ He gestured down the path, towards the castle. ‘The Ball should still be on, and there’ll still be plenty of good food left. Care to join us, Nico?’

Annabeth seemed surprised to be included in the _us_ , but she smiled.

Nico fought his natural urge to avoid all people. It would be nice to be out of the shadows, even if it was just a little bit. Well, it would be good for him at least.

He nodded, a small smile on his face.

‘Okay.’

* * *

_6 months later_

* * *

 

Jason smiled as he woke up. He rolled over, and kissed his wife good morning.

Piper responded sleepily, before muttering something about five more minutes and falling asleep again.

Jason laughed, and snuggled up with her to enjoy the ‘five more minutes’.

Life was good.

Life was excellent.

He and Piper had married, and were very happy with one another.

Percy and Annabeth were happily courting, and though their relationship appeared ridiculous and dysfunctional to others, somehow, Jason knew it worked.

Frank and Hazel, too, were courting, and the guard had confided in Jason and Percy that they were putting as much of their wages aside as they could so that they could buy a house and a restaurant (Hazel’s dream), marry, and hopefully one day in the future, start a family.

Calypso had moved into town and started selling stew in Leo’s smithy (business was booming as a result). It had been renamed Leo and Calypso’s Smithy, Lemonade and Stew, and Jason privately thought their relationship was as bizarre as the name, but somehow, like their shop, it was going along fabulously.

Nico was still around, though he travelled a lot, explaining it as sorcerer duties. Though, he always had a bed in the castle, and he often utilized it. Jason was pretty sure (and Piper agreed with him) that it had something to do with the castle physician’s son, Will.

Even Reyna had found happiness. He’d received a letter five months ago, from her and a friend of hers, Thalia, explaining that they were safe and happy in Amazonia.

All in all, everyone had found happiness.

_And they all lived happily ever after._


	9. Jewelry Store

Rachel Elizabeth Dare smiled at her co-worker Katie Gardner as they opened up Olympus Jewellery for the morning.

Olympus Jewellery was one of New York’s premier jewellery stores.

Their most popular item was engagement rings.

(Silena, one of the other girls who worked in the store, thought that was so wonderfully romantic and lovely.)

Rachel was nowhere near as interested in romance as Silena, but she did have to admit that it was kind of adorable, all those guys who came in to buy a ring. (With varying degrees of sappy romance, indecision, hesitation, doubt and cluelessness.)

* * *

They hadn’t been open very long when a Latino man with extremely pointy ears came in.

Rachel and Katie shared a sad glance.

Leo Valdez.

He came in every six months or so, bought a ring for a girl he insisted was the one (but had only ever known for a few months), only to come in a couple of weeks later to return it.

(Katie and Rachel never really ended up strictly enforcing the returns policy on him. It was just too heartbreaking to do so.)

They hadn’t seen him in almost eight months, so they’d been hoping that perhaps he’d broken his toxic cycle...but perhaps not.

He grinned at them.

‘Good morning, ladies.’

He walked up to Rachel, leaning on the counter.

‘Hey, Oracle, do you guys sell raw materials? You know, just cut diamonds, gold, that sort of stuff?’

(For some reason, he’d given them all nicknames. Katie was Flower Girl.)

Rachel and Katie looked at one another, then at Leo, surprised.

That was new.

Perhaps there was hope after all.

Rachel nodded.

‘Yeah, we do...but why?’

Leo smiled. Not smirked or grinned. Smiled. An honest, genuine smile, the sort they saw all the time on their customers.

One that they’d never seen on Leo before.

Both women’s eyes went a little wide.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the cycle was broken.

Leo actually blushed. Just a little bit, but he did. He rubbed the back of his neck.

‘I want to make something for my girlfriend. You know, design and make something myself. I think she’d like it more if I did that, you know, more meaningful and all that.’

Both Rachel and Katie smiled.

‘That’s going to take a while.’

Leo nodded.

‘Yeah, it will...but why rush things? We’re happy together, the way we are, so I’ll take my time and make it perfect.’

Both the jewellery store workers absolutely beamed.

They were happy for the mechanic-inventor, after witnessing so much of his heartbreak.

He selected a diamond and some gold, paid, and then happened to glance at his watch.

‘Oh, shit, I’ve got to run!’ He rushed towards the door. ‘She’s going to kill me for being at our garage this late!’

Rachel and Katie exchanged yet another glance.

Never before had Leo dated a girl and referred to his precious garage as _their_ garage. Never before had he dated one who would kill him for being late either.

Rachel was pretty sure they’d never see Leo Valdez again, and that was perfectly okay (more than perfectly okay, actually) with her.

She called out to him as he reached the door.

‘Leo, what’s her name?’

He turned.

‘Calypso.’ He beamed. ‘Her name’s Calypso.’

And then he left, muttering about telling Sunshine that traffic was murder or something like that.

* * *

A dark-haired young man with the most startling sea-green eyes was their next customer.

Rachel thought he was supremely attractive, but as with most men who came into her workplace, he was also clearly happily in love. (This was not a problem that Katie and Silena really understood, not being single girls.)

He stood there staring at engagement rings for a while, tapping his fingers on the case and fiddling with a pen he pulled out of his pocket, talking to himself.

‘No, too large, she’d consider it impractical...the internet says that oxidises too quickly and requires too much maintenance...ooh, blue!’

Finally, he decided on a simple ring with a small diamond and two tiny sapphires. (Apparently, he really liked blue.)

Rachel extracted it from the case, and handed it to him to examine.

He looked at it for a moment and nodded.

‘Oh, and could you engrave something on the inside?’

She nodded. Engraving requests were common.

‘What would you like?’

His cheeks pinked slightly.

‘Umm...can I write it down for you?’

She nodded, and handed him a piece of paper. He took out his pen and wrote, before handing her the slip.

She stared at the blue letters on the piece of paper.

_Seaweed Brain + Wise Girl_

Her surprise and confusion must have showed on her face, because the man (Seaweed Brain?) became even pinker, and rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Yeah, it’s kind of a long story.’

When she handed him the finished product, he grinned like crazy, and she knew that whoever this Wise Girl was, she was extremely important to this Seaweed Brain, and he was to her, even if it sounded like they had really odd pet names for one another.

Rachel mentioned this to Katie afterwards. The other woman just shrugged.

‘We’ve seen weirder.’

That was true.

But really, _Seaweed Brain?_

* * *

Rachel and Katie glanced at one another as they watched the blond-haired man (who resembled a blond version of Clark Kent, really, down to the glasses) debate with himself.

‘...Classic is that, always classic...but that gives a suggestion that I didn’t really think, just picked her out a typical one...and she’s too unique for that...Pipes is unique, and not really a fashion or classic type of girl...but then if it’s too left field, her mother will kill me...’

‘We should go rescue him.’

Rachel nodded, and walked over.

‘Excuse me, would you like some assistance?’

He looked like he could have hugged her or something.

‘Yes, thank you.’

Rachel smiled.

‘What seems to be the problem?’

(She already knew, but it was more polite this way. Politeness was important for customer service.)

‘I don’t know whether to go for a classic ring for my girlfriend, or something a bit more unique.’

Oh, she dealt with this problem every day...

‘Just go with whatever your heart tells you, or your instincts or gut feeling. Just pick one. Because, at the end of the day, it won’t matter to her. It won’t matter what type of ring you got her, it’ll just matter that you love her and she loves you and that you’re proposing.’

He smiled, blue eyes growing soft.

‘You sound like her. It’s just the thing she would say.’

The look in his eyes told her that she’d been completely spot on with her advice. It wouldn’t matter in the end, what he chose.

The blond man (Jason, she’d learned his name was), stayed for a while longer, examining rings.

(‘I want it to be perfect,’ he’d said, even after all her advice. But she knew he was taking it to heart.)

Eventually, he picked something timeless and simple, and asked Rachel to engrave a lightning bolt and a feather into the band’s inside. She was only too happy to oblige. (As a former art student, it was always nice to show off her skills.)

It was only later that Katie and Rachel realized exactly _who_ blond Superman was.

Jason Grace, son of the CEO of Jupiter Incorporated, one of the biggest businesses in the country.

He could probably have bought the whole store if he’d wanted to.

But he didn’t.

Somehow, that made the ring he’d chosen for Piper even more special in their eyes.

It was the little things you appreciated in this job.

* * *

Rachel watched the bulky Asian man who was staring at the engagement rings. He seemed a bit lost, but evidently felt too awkward to ask for help. (She’d become very good at reading people due to this job.)

She walked over.

‘Can I help you?’

‘Umm...’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Do you have anything less...ostentatious?’

He must have caught her look of confusion (it _was_ a strange request), because he started rambling.

He was talking to fast and mumbling so much, and so entirely flustered, that Rachel only caught some of what he was saying.

Something about not being cheap, but about some wealth-related family curse that had destroyed his girlfriend’s family, and not wanting to get her something that reminded her of that, but still wanting to get her an engagement ring.

Family curses were new. But Rachel had heard a lot of weird things, so she barely blinked an eyelid.

 She guided the man (Frank, his name was) over to the section where they kept their other rings, the sort intended for people to purchase for Valentine’s Day and birthdays and the like.

Still, there was nothing that kept these rings being used as engagement rings. It was all about the meaning that a couple placed on them, after all.

Eventually, he selected a simple gold infinity ring, with a tiny diamond in the centre.

Rachel smiled (and squealed internally) as she rung it up on the register for him.

Frank, it had emerged, rambled when flustered. A lot.

Rachel had learnt a lot more about his girlfriend (her name was Hazel) than a weird family curse.

The grin on Frank’s face as she handed him his purchase...

After he left, she and Katie exchanged a glance.

He and his fiancée-to-be were so _adorable_.

* * *

A black-haired young man in a battered aviator’s jacket and a skull T-shirt walked in.

Rachel and Katie watched as he started examining rings.

Rachel walked somewhat hesitantly up to him after a few minutes. (He gave off a hostile sort of aura. Kind of a _leave me alone or else_ vibe.)

‘Would you like any help?’

The man looked uncomfortable, wary of her. He spoke hesitantly, almost as if he were afraid she’d attack him.

‘I’m...I’m looking for an engagement ring.’ He took a deep breath. ‘For my boyfriend.’

Ah, that was it.

Rachel simply smiled at him, just as if he were any other customer.

‘Hmm...what do you think he’d like? Something traditional? Or something a bit more left-field? A more delicate ring or something chunkier?’

He stared at her. Shock, surprise, gratefulness.

_Really?_

Same-sex marriage was legal in New York. She was only 26 years old. How did he think she would react?

She rolled her eyes.

‘This is a no-judgement zone, seriously. I’ve seen people come in and buy stuff for the person they’re having an affair with. I’ve had the weirdest, strangest requests. You seriously think I’m going to judge you for being in a happy relationship with someone else, just because they’re the same sex as you?’

The young man actually blushed, but he smiled at her.

‘Thank you.’

He walked out almost a whole hour later, a small box containing a ridiculously shiny golden ring in his pocket.

* * *

A young man with blond hair came in later that afternoon.

He seemed to be sure of what he was looking for, because he wandered over to where they kept the rings classified non-engagement rings (where Rachel had guided Frank earlier) and searched that cabinet.

About fifteen minutes later, he gestured to Rachel.

He pointed at a skull ring with two little diamonds for eyes.

‘I’ll take that one.’

As Rachel handed him the box, she decided to follow a hunch.

‘For someone special?’

The blond nodded.

‘Yeah, my boyfriend. I’m going to propose to him.’

As he left, Rachel and Katie, who was clocking out, shared a glance.

_Could it be?_

_Weirder things have happened than improbable coincidences..._

* * *

A young man with a roguish grin entered about half an hour after Katie had left.

He looked around, then pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

‘Cecil here. It’s all clear. You can come in now.’

He left without another word.

Rachel stared.

Just when she thought her day couldn’t get any weirder...

Then Travis walked in.

‘You missed Katie, Travis. She left about half an hour ago.’

‘That’s the point, Rach. I can’t buy a ring for Katie if she’s here, can I? That’d ruin the surprise!’

Rachel kind of melted on the inside. Which was a bit ridiculous, because she should be used to this sort of stuff by now, but Katie was a good friend of hers (and so was Travis, really), and this was so sweet and she was so happy for them...

He pointed out a ring that Katie had been looking rather fondly at.

‘I’ll take that one.’

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

‘Good choice, she’s been eyeing that one off for a while now.’

Travis smirked.

‘I know.’

She didn’t ask how he knew.

Travis was a Stoll. He had his ways.

(Possibly slightly illegal ways, but he had his ways.)

As Travis left, Rachel had a realization and cursed.

How was she going to keep this from Katie when she demanded to know if anything interesting had happened after her shift?


	10. Restaurant

Reyna, Head Chef of _The Argo,_ a small but highly acclaimed New York restaurant, resisted the urge to curse as she paced the dining room floor.

Octavian was coming.

The fussy, mean, ludicrously-hard-to-impress, devious, manipulative and cruel food critic was visiting their restaurant tonight.

Annabeth (the manager) had informed her only minutes ago, after she’d received a tip-off from Dakota, the wine critic from Octavian’s newspaper.

Damn it, what was she going to do?

If he didn’t like their restaurant (which he probably wouldn’t), it’d probably spell doom for it and her career. At the very least, it would be extremely harmful.

She clenched her fists, but kept her face impassive.

‘Reyna.’

She turned.

A blond man in gold-rimmed glasses and chef whites stood behind her. Jason, her Sous Chef, and one of her closest friends.

He walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

‘It’s going to be okay.’

She snorted. Her normal composure was absent.

‘It’s _Octavian_.’

Jason nodded.

‘But we’re going to be okay. We’ve got a great team, a strong team.’

Reyna took a deep breath. Then another. Then another.

Jason was right. They did have a strong team, a wonderful team.

In the kitchen, there was her and Jason, as well as Leo Valdez, their Grill Chef, who also handled anything fried and roasted meats, Frank Zhang, pastry chef (though, you really wouldn’t guess it looking at him), and Hazel Levesque, who handled absolutely everything else as their kitchen was too small to have more staff. (Reyna swore that girl was magic, sometimes.)

They were a good and well-oiled team. It was tricky at first, sorting out the dynamics and getting to know each other (as well as that mess with Leo’s resemblance to Hazel’s first boyfriend from when she was thirteen who’d died a tragic death), but they were good now. They were more than good.

In the dining room, they had Piper, their Front of House manager. Reyna smiled wryly. Piper was the most charming, persuasive person she’d ever met. She could probably make Octavian like her. There was Calypso, who was kind and sweet, but also surprisingly tough and feisty. She could handle Octavian, definitely.

There was Nico, the best sommelier this side of the Atlantic (at the very least- he was Italian-trained, and apparently had quite the reputation there too), and Percy, the barman, who had a surprising knack with drinks and his own brand of charm.

And behind-the-scenes, there was Annabeth, who could probably balance anyone’s books.

She took another deep breath.

‘It’s going to be okay.’

She took yet another deep breath, and continued.

‘It’s going to be better than okay. Way better. We’re going to impress him. We’re going to make him give us an excellent review.’

Reyna straightened, feeling the steel in her spine, her strength, somehow return. (Piper had once told her that she felt that Reyna could lend the others her strength. Somehow, it seemed as if she was getting some back now.)

Jason grinned.

‘We are.’ His grin grew slightly more mischievous. (It was a look that she wasn’t used to seeing on him, her previously incredibly serious partner. But he’d changed since they started working at _The Argo_. Not in a bad way, really, but he’d changed. He was happier really, but it’d cost them whatever they’d had. Reyna let go of those thoughts. Yes, it had hurt at first, but she was strong and independent and didn’t need a man, and Jason was first and foremost one of her dearest friends and her kitchen partner.) ‘Besides, we could always get him drunk.’

She smiled, shaking her head.

‘You’ve been spending too much time with Leo and Percy.’

They shared a smile, and walked towards the little staff break room. They had to share the news.

Reyna took another deep breath, willing herself to be strong before the others. While she knew that the others (her friends) would not ridicule her, she still felt the need to be strong for them. A leader’s mood was important.

They entered.

Only Leo, Frank and Hazel were inside.

Jason turned to Reyna.

‘I’ll go fetch Piper and the others.’

Frank and Hazel looked up from the corner, where they’d been sitting, talking with their heads close together.

Leo waggled his eyebrows, playing with a strange metal contraption (that he’d doubtlessly made himself) that he held in his hands.

‘Of course Sparky volunteers to _fetch_ Beauty Queen. How long do you reckon it’ll be before they’re back? Any bets, Frank, Hazel?’

Leo’s words caused Hazel to blush and start fanning her face (though, she wore an affectionate smile for the couple), while Frank was bright red and staring at his feet. (He’d walked in on Jason and Piper last time.)

Leo turned to Reyna.

‘What about you, Rey?’

Normally, she would have scowled at him. (Leo refused to call her chef, even in the kitchen, which was the proper thing to do.)

But she was too occupied with Octavian’s impending visit to do so.

Hazel, the most perceptive of all her chefs by far, picked up on her mood.

‘What’s wrong, Chef?’

That drew Frank’s attention to her and a moment later, Leo’s too.

Jason returned then with Piper, Calypso, Nico and Percy, as well as Annabeth.

Reyna raised her voice slightly.

‘Octavian’s coming. Tonight.’

There was silence for perhaps half a minute.

Piper looked worried, but determined.

Nico was scowling, while Percy was subdued, unusually.

Calypso’s eyes grew fiery, while Leo’s hands stilled and he ceased fiddling with his contraption.

Annabeth’s eyes were stormy.

Hazel looked very worried (Reyna knew she’d had a nasty run-in with Octavian at the place she used to work), and Frank rubbed her back, looking rather nervous himself.

Jason gave Reyna an encouraging glance, while Reyna herself did her best to keep her composure (and succeeded).

She stood up straighter, and gathered the team into a huddle.

‘Yes, it’s going to be a challenge. He’s going to test us and push us. But we’re going to succeed. We’re going to do great. We’re going to do excellent.’ She glanced around at all of them. ‘We _are_.’

They all nodded and exchanged determined looks.

Piper spoke up, her voice gentle yet strong and persuasive.

‘It’s all going to go excellently.’

Something washed over them all, and somehow, they all knew it would go excellently.

Reyna took another deep breath, and they all spent a few more moments standing in that huddle.

She felt strength flow into her as they all stood together.

They were a team.

They were a great team.

They were an excellent team.

And they would get an excellent review.

They _would._

(And they did.)


	11. Boarding School

Percy glanced at all of his friends, who were all sitting around their usual table in the dining hall of Olympus Academy, a boarding school that was kind of in the middle of nowhere, discussing their holiday plans.

‘I’m flying back to Vancouver, to spend Christmas with my grandmother.’ Frank looked glum. ‘Mom couldn’t get leave.’

Hazel patted his arm comfortingly.

Percy smirked. Only Annabeth caught it, and she rolled her eyes affectionately, just like she always did when he was trying to set those two up.

Piper spoke up.

‘Dad wants me home, something about spending Christmas as a family or something.’ She snorted. ‘Though, if his shoot doesn’t wrap on time, he might not be there and it’ll just be me and Jane.’

Jason piped up from his spot next to his girlfriend.

‘My father wants me to go back too.’

He and Piper shared a grimace, before Jason gave a very wry smile.

‘Though, Thalia apparently promised to be there this year, so it might not be so bad. Entertaining, at least.’

A couple of years ago, Jason would never have thought that way. But the new friends he’d made at the Academy and his new experiences had changed him.

Everyone shared a quick laugh. Thalia used to go to Olympus, and boy, was she a character.

‘I’m going back to California for Christmas with my dad, stepmother and brothers.’

Annabeth’s eyes were cool and composed, so no-one really quite knew what she thought of that.

Nico and Hazel shared a glance, before the girl spoke.

‘We’re spending the holidays with our father and stepmother.’

Hazel seemed cautiously optimistic. Nico was scowling.

Reyna looked as composed as ever as she swallowed the last bit of her dinner before speaking.

‘I’m staying here.’

She didn’t volunteer any more information, and none of them pushed.

Leo grinned his signature manic grin.

‘The super-hot McShizzle is staying here!’ He waggled his eyebrows. ‘After all, Christmas is a pretty romantic time of year, and I heard that Khione’s staying...’

Everyone else shared a look, all with varying degrees of worry on their faces.

Their friend was mooning over yet another girl, which never ended well.

Besides, they could all see through Leo’s mask now. He simply had nowhere else to go.

‘Well, you’re coming over to my place for a Jackson Christmas, Valdez, no excuses. You too, Reyna.’

‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world, man! Your mom makes the best food!’

Reyna gave Percy a small smile.

Percy gestured grandly with the arm that wasn’t around Annabeth.

‘In fact, you’re all coming to my place for a late Christmas, the weekend before school starts! I already asked Mom, and she said you’re all welcome.’

Annabeth smiled as her ridiculous boyfriend (she’d known about this for a while yet), while Leo talked enthusiastically about two Christmases with the Jacksons, Reyna gave a slightly bigger smile, and Piper grinned and Jason beamed. Frank and Hazel shared a bright-smiled glance, before Hazel turned to her brother with an imploring yet insistent look.

Spending Christmas together, even if it was a late Christmas, would definitely be a bright spot in their holidays, some of which were not so bright at all.

They all eagerly accepted the invitation (well, except for Nico, but he cordially accepted after a few words with Hazel).

That night, Percy smirked and spun around in his desk chair like an evil mastermind, drumming his fingers together.

Operation Frazel was in motion.

* * *

Percy pouted.

Why, oh, why did it take so long to get to his house from Vancouver?

Everyone else was there, except Frank.

And until Frank was there, his plan was stuck.

He cheered up immediately as Leo (even more hyperactive than normal from all the sugar), ran past him, chased by Piper (slightly less hyperactive from all the sugar), who was being followed by Jason, who was trying to keep the two from doing something really stupid.

Annabeth was sitting beside him, hand in his, chatting to Hazel, while Reyna and Nico conversed on Hazel’s other side.

All in all, a lovely Christmas picture.

They were even all wearing Christmas sweaters, which had been Hazel’s gift to them, handed out by the girl with a sweet smile before they left school.

Hazel had bought each of them a sweater, and decorated them with her own handmade decorations.

Percy’s was blue with dolphins in Santa hats, while Annabeth’s was grey with the Empire State Building covered with Christmas decorations on it. Piper had a dove carrying mistletoe on her green sweater, while Jason’s was navy blue with snowflakes and a lightning bolt. Reyna’s was purple with her two beloved dogs (she’d shown them the photos; they were actually kind of scary) on it, one with a red ribbon and one with green around their necks, while Nico’s black one had a skull wearing a Santa hat on it. Leo’s was red, with a motif of a crazy-looking elf that looked suspiciously like him.

All in all, they were cheesy and kind of horrible, like all Christmas sweaters, but they all wore them for the party anyway, because Hazel absolutely beamed and nearly cried when she saw them all wearing them, and Nico might dismember them if they didn’t as a result.

Thinking of the sweaters made Percy pout again, because he realized he didn’t know what Frank’s looked like because he _wasn’t there yet_.

The doorbell rang, and Hazel immediately volunteered to get it. (Percy smirked. He _so_ called it first.)

Untangling himself from Annabeth, he snuck off to see to the conclusion of Operation Frazel.

He watched, hidden from view, as Hazel opened the door, revealing Frank, who removed his thick coat to reveal an army-green sweater with a Christmas teddy bear on it.

Hazel flung her arms around him in welcome, and blushing, he gave her a bear hug in return. Percy grinned.

‘You wore it!’

Hazel was beaming.

Frank beamed back.

‘I’ve been wearing it all Christmas, Hazel. I love it!’

Well, this was as good a moment as any. Besides, he only had a small window of opportunity.

Nonchalantly, as if he was just being a good host and greeting his guest, Percy walked into view.

‘Hi, Frank!’ He looked up casually. ‘Ooh, look, mistletoe!’ He pointed to the foliage he’d pinned above the doorframe after everyone else had arrived. ‘You know what that means!’

Frank turned bright red and shuffled his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. Hazel flushed and fanned her face furiously.

Percy’s smirk grew wider.

A few moments later, Hazel stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed Frank lightly on the cheek. He burned even redder, but they shared a shy smile, before Hazel led Frank into the living room, past a spluttering Percy.

‘But-but-no! That’s-that’s cheating! How-‘

Annabeth, who had followed her boyfriend when he left the living room, cuffed him on the back of the head.

‘Seaweed Brain, when it happens, it happens. These things take time; remember us?’

He pouted, before a slow smirk grew across his face.

‘Nope. Could you remind me, Wise Girl?’

She slapped him again, and dragged him none-too-gently to the door.

But her eyes were loving as she looked at him. She smiled and pointed upwards.

‘Oh, look, mistletoe.’

And she kissed him, and he kissed her back, and Percy felt far less devastated about the failure of Operation Frazel.

* * *

(It wasn’t a complete waste anyway. He ended up having a really great story to tell at their wedding.)


	12. Frozen

‘Come on! Let’s go and play!’

Eight-year-old Princess Reyna groaned and shook her head at her three-year-old little sister.

‘Hazel, it’s the middle of the night.’

Another voice piped up.

‘The sky’s awake, so we’re awake.’

That was five-year-old Piper, one of her other sisters. She certainly had a flair for the dramatic.

Reyna heard a voice from the bed nearest hers. That would be Annabeth, seven, her fourth sister.

‘Since we’re all awake, we might as well, Reyna.’

Annabeth looked at her from over her book (she must have either stayed up very late reading or woken up very early to read it).

Reyna gave a small smile, which slowly grew wider as Hazel beamed, Piper grinned and Annabeth smiled too.

‘Okay, then.’

* * *

The ballroom was full of snow and ice sculptures.

Reyna laughed as little Hazel slid down a hill, landing in a snowdrift, and emerged with her curls covered in snow.

Piper and Annabeth were playing a game of tag, with Annabeth’s already brilliant strategic mind ensuring that she was definitely winning.

Hazel climbed to the top of the hill again, intending to slide down it once more, but she slipped and fell.

Reyna watched it happen, almost as if in slow-motion. She had to do _something_.

She reached out her hand, willing her powers to _do something_.

A beam of her magic shot out...and struck her baby sister in the head.

Hazel fell to the ground, unconscious, a streak of white appearing in her hair where she was struck.

Reyna ran over to her and screamed. Her skin was ice cold.

* * *

‘Please, help. My daughter!’

Their father, with Hazel in his arms, entered the clearing in the forest. Behind him stood his wife, Reyna, Annabeth and Piper.

There was a cloud of smoke, before a young woman with red curls and vivid green eyes, who appeared as old as Time itself, paradoxically, appeared.

She walked closer to the royals.

‘Your Majesty.’ She gestured to Reyna. ‘Born with the powers or cursed?’

‘Born. And they’re getting stronger.’

The woman, known as The Oracle, knelt to examine Hazel.

‘You are lucky it wasn’t her heart. The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.’

The King and Queen nodded to the woman.

‘Do what you must.’

She nodded, resting a hand on Hazel’s head.

‘I recommend we remove all magic, even memories of it, to be safe. But don’t worry, I’ll leave the fun...’

She drew a golden ball out of Hazel’s head, before reaching out and drawing a green one out of Piper’s and a grey one out of Annabeth’s. Both of the other Princesses slumped to the floor, seemingly asleep.

The Oracle smiled.

‘She will be okay. They will all be okay.’

Reyna looked up at her.

‘But they won’t remember I have powers?’

The Oracle nodded. Her father spoke.

‘It’s for the best.’

The Oracle bent to Reyna’s level.

‘Listen to me, Reyna, your power will only grow. There is beauty in your magic, but also great danger. You must learn to control it. Fear will be your enemy.’

Reyna met her eyes, holding her head high and her countenance resolute and strong.

She would learn to control it.

She would not hurt her sisters.

She would not hurt anyone.

She would be strong, and she would be in control.

* * *

The castle gates swung closed.

‘...We’ll lock the gates. We’ll reduce the staff. We will limit her contact with people, and keep her powers hidden from everyone...including her sisters.’

Hazel, Piper and Annabeth looked confused when they woke.

There were now only three beds in their room.

Reyna’s bed was gone.

* * *

Four-year-old Hazel knocked on the door of Reyna’s room.

‘Reyna, do you want to build a snowman?’

There was no reply.

Hazel frowned.

‘Don’t you want to build a snowman, big sister?’

‘Go away, Hazel.’

Tears welled in the little girl’s gold eyes.

‘...Okay. Bye.’

* * *

Years passed.

The Princesses grew up, and grew apart, slowly.

Reyna remained secreted in her room, struggling to stay strong and contain her powers.

Annabeth sat in her tower bedroom, which overlooked the town on one side and their private cove on the other, reading, and yearning to experience what she read about for real.

Piper ran around the castle, acting out grand displays in her imagination, longing for adventure and romance, rarely returning to her own tower bedroom.

Hazel alone remained in the room they’d all once shared, and spent much of her time in the gardens or the stables or some other secluded place, wishing for friendship and family.

* * *

Nine-year-old Hazel knocked gently on Reyna’s door.

‘Reyna, do you want to build a snowman? Or even just come out for a walk?’

No reply.

‘I think some company is overdue. Piper’s going mad from boredom, Annabeth’s read every book in the library, and I’ve started talking to a horse. It’s getting really lonely without you.’

There was no response at all.

Hazel sighed and decided to go talk to Arion.

At least the horse seemed to talk back.

* * *

Thirteen-year-old Annabeth stood on the castle’s private beach, watching the sea with her stormy grey eyes.

Her serenity was disturbed seconds later by a boy wading out of the surf.

He had dark hair and sea-green eyes, and was about her age. (She ignored the voice in her head that commented on his handsomeness.)

She recognized him, in the sense that she’d seen him from her window, playing with three other children, two boys, one exceptionally large, and a girl, for years. When she was younger and less wise, she may or may not have waved to him (and he may or may not have waved back), but that hadn’t happened for some time.

She walked up to him, keeping composure just like a Princess should.

‘This is a private beach. You aren’t allowed to be here.’

He pouted.

‘Come on! I swam all the way here on a dare from Grover, and that’s what you say to me? Seriously, since you’re locked up in the castle all the time, you’ve got to be desperate for company by now!’

Her eyes flashed steely.

‘Do you have kelp for brains? Is that any way to speak to a Princess?’

He shook his head earnestly.

‘No, but it is the way you speak to a friend.’

She huffed.

‘We’re not friends.’

‘You were stuck in a castle and waved to me for years whenever you saw me. I think that counts as being friends.’

‘You’re a seaweed brain. An absolute seaweed brain. Waving does not constitute a friendship; trust, honesty, companionship, care and support constitute a friendship!’

He smirked.

‘Wow, you’re wise, Wise Girl.’

She glared at him.

‘Shut up, Seaweed Brain.’

(She learned his name was Percy and he learned that hers was Annabeth, but they kept using Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl anyway. He kept coming back to see her, and eventually, she stopped telling him off. They became each other’s little secret. Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl.)

* * *

Ten-year-old Hazel, checking to make sure that no-one was around to see her, slipped into one of the dungeon cells, and climbed onto the wooden bench inside, so that her head was level with the iron-barred window.

She smiled at the pudgy thirteen-year-old on the other side.

‘Hi, Frank.’

He grinned at her.

‘Hi, Hazel.’

He handed her a pretty flower and a letter, before looking very apologetically at her.

‘I’m so sorry, Hazel, but I can’t stay and talk to you today. The guards are patrolling on a different schedule today, because there was a security scare earlier.’ He looked really sad, and spoke as if it was somehow his fault. ‘I’m really sorry.’

She smiled at him, but shook her head all the same. _Oh, Frank…_

‘It’s not your fault, Frank. Thank you for these.’ She held up the letter and the flower.

He blushed a little, and smiled at her.

‘You’re my best friend, Hazel.’

She beamed back, a little pink herself.  

‘You’re my best friend too, Frank.’

His cheeks turned even pinker. Somewhat awkwardly, he waved goodbye. She waved back and watched him go, her precious flower and letter in hand.

Frank was the son of two of the guards.

They’d met a year ago.

Hazel had explored the dungeons of the castle, and found that she could actually see outside the castle from this ‘window’ in one of the cells. One day, Frank had fallen over (he was rather clumsy), and hurt himself, and she had run and fetched some bandages for him, pressing them through the grate.

They’d spoken for a little while, and had been friends ever since. They exchanged letters, and talked when they could, and Frank brought her little things from the outside, like flowers they didn’t have inside the palace or pinecones from the forest. She gave him drawings that she made in return.

Hazel missed her sisters, but at least she had Frank. At least she had a friend. A best friend, too, and one as nice and sweet as Frank.

She smiled as she examined the flower Frank had given her (she would make a nice drawing of it for him), and opened his letter eagerly.

* * *

Eleven-year-old Hazel knocked hesitantly on Reyna’s door.

‘Reyna? Please, I know you’re in there. People are asking where you’ve been.’ Her voice broke. ‘They say have courage, and I’m trying to, we’re all trying to. We’re...we’re all here for you...just let us in.’

Hazel slumped against the door.

‘We...we only have each other. It’s just the four of us now. What are we doing to do?’

She smiled wanly.

‘Do you want to build a snowman?’

* * *

After their parents died, they drifted even further apart.

Hazel tried, gods, she tried, but what could she do? They’d been cooped up together so long, and they all wanted so many different things, and they were all so different, she didn’t know what to do.

The best she could do was try and reach out to all her sisters, try and comfort all of them.

(She wasn’t terribly successful, particularly with Reyna and even Annabeth. In fact, finding Annabeth had become rather difficult of late...)

She was almost twelve when the big fight happened.

‘There’s no one here to keep us in anymore! Why can’t we just open up the gates and go outside?’

Piper’s kaleidoscope eyes flashed all kinds of colours, her choppy braids swinging as she paced the corridor outside Reyna’s room.

‘Piper, I have explained this to you. As much as we would like to go outside, we cannot open up the gates until Reyna is of age. Our parents left a provision in their will that-‘

‘I don’t care about their stupid will, Annabeth!’

‘It’s a legally binding document; you have to care about it!’

Reyna’s voice, firm and strong, interrupted Piper and Annabeth’s arguing.

‘We are not opening up the gates! We obey our parents’ wishes, and do the right thing. Do what they would have wanted. End of argument.’

Piper and Annabeth opened their mouths, and the three older sisters ended up in a three-way argument.

Hazel watched, powerless to interfere.

She felt anger bubble up inside of her, watching them all yell at each other and accuse each other. She struggled to bite it back.

‘Why can’t we just get along? I barely remember those times, but we were close friends, like sisters should be, once. _What happened_? Why aren’t we like that anymore?’

Following her outburst, Annabeth and Piper looked at her, and both gave a small shrug.

They didn’t know.

Hazel felt tears well in her eyes.

Unbeknownst to the others, alone in her room, Reyna broke down and cried.

_Why couldn’t it be like that again?_

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Annabeth woke up half an hour earlier than usual, as planned. Today was Coronation Day. She required the extra time to get ready.

That fact sent a little jolt through her system, not unlike when she and Percy kissed.

Today was Coronation Day. Today, the gates would open. Today, she could see the world that she’d read so much about.

She grinned.

* * *

Fifteen-year-old Piper grinned to herself as she got ready.

Coronation Day! Finally, the gates would open!

There’d be real people, and dancing and music, a real Ball!

She couldn’t wait to meet everyone.

Her eyes glazed over.

Perhaps she would meet _the one_.

She imagined a scene in her head; her standing in her gown, draped against the wall, eyes meeting with a beautiful stranger, tall and fair, across the room, dancing and laughing together all night...

She sighed.

Finally, her chance at love had come.

* * *

Thirteen-year-old Hazel put on her gown and looked around the bedroom they’d all once shared as children.

Today was Reyna’s 18th birthday. Her Coronation Day. The day the castle gates would open.

Perhaps the breaking down of the barriers between them and the outside world would finally break down the barriers within her family. Maybe if they weren’t trapped in here together, if they could pursue their own interests and wants and have their own friends, they would be closer together.

Maybe they could be as close as they were when they all shared this bedroom again.

* * *

Reyna gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

She appeared strong, that she knew, and stood with the dignity of a queen.

She let that slip for a moment (it was no mask, it simply just wasn’t her entire self), and let herself show weakness for once.

Today was Coronation Day. Today, the gates would open.

Today, there was a chance that her secret could be revealed, the secret she’d fought so hard to keep all these years.

Today, there was the chance that she could hurt her sisters, or someone else, the way she’d hurt Hazel all those years ago.

No, she swore to herself, she would not let that happen. She could not let it happen.

She would not fear it occurring.

_Fear will be your enemy._

She looked down to find that she’d frozen her hairbrush.

She took a deep breath.

She would be strong. She had to be strong. She was strong.

She opened her door.

‘Tell the guards to open up the gates!’

* * *

Piper smiled to herself as the returned to the castle for Reyna’s coronation.

Out at the docks after the gates were opened, she’d met the most wonderful man.

He was handsome, and charming, and a Prince, and he was everything she’d ever wanted and more.

_Dylan._

She grinned wider as she recalled his name.

This was love, surely.

* * *

After her coronation, Reyna stood in a small chamber off the ballroom, waiting to be announced.

Her three sisters were ushered in, and they stood there, facing each other awkwardly, for a moment.

It was Hazel who broke the silence.

‘Happy Birthday, Reyna!’

She hesitated for a moment, before throwing her arms around her older sister.

Reyna was frozen for a moment, shocked and scared and worried, but gently hugged her back.

They broke apart, and Hazel handed her a scroll.

‘I drew this for you.’

Reyna gave her a rare smile.

‘Thank you, Hazel.’

Annabeth stepped up, smiling at her.

‘Happy Birthday, Reyna.’

Reyna smiled back at Annabeth, before glancing at Piper.

Of all her sisters, Piper was the most likely to hate her...

But the girl smiled at her after a moment’s hesitation.

‘Happy Birthday.’

Hazel beamed at all three of them, and Annabeth and Piper looked fondly at her, while Reyna smiled.

For a moment, it was just like old times.

* * *

‘The Duke of Weaseltown.’

The straw-haired man shook his fists, the teddy bear (what was with that?) on his belt bouncing.

‘Wesselton, it’s Wesselton!’

Hazel and Piper giggled.

Piper stopped laughing a moment later when she ended up dancing with him.

* * *

‘May I cut in?’

Piper smiled up at Dylan as he rescued her from that crazy Duke. (He kept stepping on her toes.)

‘Thank you.’

‘Anything for you, milady.’

And they did laugh and talk and dance all evening, and Piper was sure that this was true love.

What else could it be?

* * *

‘Will you marry me?’

Stars in her eyes, she grinned.

‘Yes!’

* * *

‘We would like-‘

‘-Your blessing-‘

‘-of-‘

‘-our marriage.’

Reyna stared at Piper and this Prince Dylan. Behind her, Hazel watched with wide eyes, Annabeth with surprised but evaluative ones.

‘...Marriage?’

Piper grinned, clutching the Prince’s arm.

‘Yes!’

‘No one is getting married.’

It was the couple’s turn to stare at her. Piper’s eyes changed colour.

‘Wait, what?’

Reyna turned to her sister.

‘May I talk to you alone, Piper?’

The girl glanced at her beau, before straightening and turning back to her sister.

‘No, whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us.’

Reyna kept her face impassive.

‘Fine. You can’t marry a man you just met.’

Piper glared at her.

‘You can if it’s true love! I love him, Reyna!’

‘You’re too young to know what love is, Piper!’

Piper’s gaze turned fiery.

‘Just because you have ice for a heart-‘

Reyna winced internally, but fought to keep her composure. She had to be strong.

Annabeth’s voice rang out, laced with steel.

‘Piper, Reyna, this is no place for this conversation. You are both being foolish-‘

‘Stay out of this, Annabeth!’ Piper didn’t stop glaring at Reyna. ‘You don’t understand, just like the ice queen here!’

A look of pain flashed across both of the older sisters’ faces. Then anger.

Piper continued.

‘All you know how to do, all you understand, Reyna, is shutting people out! Ignoring them! Being cold and distant and cruel as ice!’

Reyna fought back the tears that threatened to come.

She glanced at her other two sisters.

Annabeth, the stiffness in her back betraying anger, being practical as ever, shooing guests away and apologizing.

Hazel, looking angrily at both of them, doubtlessly upset over how harsh they were being to each other.

Reyna straightened her back.

‘Enough!’

She made for the door, hoping that Piper would stop, but she was stubborn and kept yelling. She didn’t even hear what she was yelling, but in that moment, she lost her control.

‘I said, enough!’

Ice shot out from her hand, causing ice spikes to cover the floor before her.

The remaining guests cried out in shock, and backed away.

Octavian spoke up.

‘...Sorcery. I knew there was something dubious going on here.’

Reyna ran.

* * *

She broke out of the castle’s front gates, and the crowd cheered.

‘The Queen!’

‘Long live the Queen!’

‘Congratulations, your majesty!’

All of her strength sapped and gone, unable to regain her control and composure ( _ice heart, cold, distant, cruel),_ she was backed into the fountain, which froze immediately under her touch.

Gasps of shock and fear rang out across the crowd.

Octavian and his men emerged from the gates.

‘There she is! Stop her!’

‘Just stay away from me. Stay away!’

Ice shot out of her hand again, causing Octavian to trip.

‘Monster...monster!’

The crowd panicked.

Reyna ran, and didn’t look back.

She didn’t notice the ice and snow she left behind her.

* * *

Piper watched helplessly as Reyna fled and the kingdom froze behind her.

This was her fault.

She barely paid any attention to the Duke’s accusations, barely heard Dylan assuring the man that Piper and her other two sisters were completely ordinary.

She even barely noticed the dark-haired teenager who’d appeared by Annabeth’s side, or the fact that a sobbing Hazel was being comforted by a bulky boy in an apprentice guard’s uniform.

She raised her voice, making it as persuasive and strong as she could.

‘Tonight was an accident. Reyna was scared. She didn’t mean it, she didn’t mean any of this...Tonight was my fault. I pushed her. So I’m the one who needs to go after her.’

Annabeth stepped forward.

‘I’m going with you.’

Hazel raised her head, but didn’t let go of the boy’s hand.

‘I’m coming. She’s my sister too.’

The tear stains on Hazel’s face made Piper feel even guiltier.

She lowered her voice and addressed Hazel only.

‘I’m sorry, Hazel, I let it get out of hand. I shouldn’t have...we’ve all been so...distant from one another lately.’

Hazel nodded, her eyes earnest.

‘I know.’ She looked guilty. ‘I’m sorry for being mad at you.’

Piper shook her head.

‘It’s not your fault.’

The guard squeezed Hazel’s hand.

‘If you’re going, I’m going to.’

She smiled wanly at him.

The dark-haired boy next to Annabeth echoed that sentiment.

Piper knew that there was something going on between those boys and her sisters, but her mind was too occupied with Reyna, so she began to march off towards he stables, Annabeth, Hazel and the two boys in tow, not sparing it any thought.

Dylan reached out and grabbed her wrist.

‘Piper, no. It’s too dangerous.’

‘Reyna’s not dangerous. We’ll bring her back, and we’ll make this right.’

Dylan frowned.

‘Are you sure you can trust her? I don’t want you getting hurt.’

Piper opened her mouth to reply, but Hazel beat her to it.

‘She’s our sister; she would never hurt us.’

Annabeth and Piper nodded in agreement.

Dylan looked unconvinced.

‘I’m coming with you.’

‘No, I need you to look after the kingdom.’

She glanced at her two sisters, who nodded, then at him again.

He saw the desperation in her eyes.

‘...on my honour.’

Piper raised her voice again.

‘We leave Prince Dylan in charge.’

* * *

Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank and Percy trudged up the snow-covered mountain. (They’d had to abandon the horses, much to Hazel’s sadness, when they’d reached the mountain. It was too dangerous to ride in the rocky, snowy, unfamiliar terrain.)

They were very nearly run over by a large sled, laden with blocks of ice.

‘Leo! You need to watch where you’re driving! And drive slower!’

A boy of about fifteen who looked an awful lot like an elf or an imp, down to his pointed ears, grinned at a blond boy who appeared to be around the same age.

‘But Jason, going fast is so much more fun! Besides, since this super-hot stuff made some modifications, this thing doesn’t even go slow anymore!’

‘You nearly ran over some people!’

‘Key word: nearly!’

Piper suppressed a grin. Percy laughed, while Hazel bit back a giggle. Frank was smiling, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

It was the strangest of meetings, but they somehow ended up with two new friends and a ride up the mountain.

* * *

They stopped at sunset to make camp.

It was too dangerous to continue throughout the night, according to Jason, so they had to stop, he said, even if they were desperate to find their sister.

Jason, it turned out, was none other than the son of Zeus, who had a monopoly over the whole kingdom’s ice business, and many of its other businesses as well.

He’d decided that he really needed to know, as his father’s heir, how these businesses actually worked, so here he was, learning the ice business with Leo.

Piper liked Jason a lot. He was a leader, noble, modest, heroic, polite and gentlemanly, as well as exceedingly handsome. (She pushed back those thoughts. She’d already found her true love.)

They collected some wood together to make a fire, but they had no matches. Piper shared a glance with all the others.

However, Jason and Leo seemed completely unconcerned.

Suddenly, Leo’s hand was on fire.

They all gasped, even Annabeth.

Leo threw a fireball at the wood, which started crackling merrily, and then put out his hand, grinning at the shock on their faces.

They all stared at him, wide-eyed.

Hazel, Piper and Annabeth shared a glance.

‘You...you can...’

‘Make fire? Yeah, pretty _hot_ isn’t it, Beauty Queen?’

His voice was teasing, so at least he wasn’t hitting on her.

Annabeth was clearly running possibilities through her head. Frank seemed to be as well.

Hazel spoke next.

‘You...you can control your powers...’ Her voice took on a hopeful note. ‘So surely that means Reyna can too?’

Leo shrugged.

‘Maybe.’ He grinned his manic grin. ‘I can definitely try and teach her.’ He turned to Jason, who pinched the bridge of his nose immediately. ‘What do you think, Jason? Fire and ice? Match made in heaven?’

Piper threw a snowball at him, but her mind was elsewhere.

There was hope.

* * *

As they sat around the campfire, having just finished breakfast, waiting for the sun to rise properly before they continued, Jason and Piper talked.

‘So you are engaged to Prince Dylan.’

Piper nodded in response to Jason’s statement.

‘...And you just met him yesterday.’

Again, she nodded.

Jason frowned.

‘Forgive me, because this is an improper question, but how can you marry a man you just met?’

‘Because it’s true love!’

Jason looked sceptical.

‘Are you sure it can be true love if you’ve only just met him?’

Piper crossed her arms, and opened her mouth to reply (he’d struck a nerve; of course she knew, it was true love! With Dylan, she didn’t feel alone anymore, it was everything she’d ever thought it to be, of course it was true love!), but Leo interrupted her, apparently sensing the tension. He stared at Jason in mock shock.

‘Who are you and what have you done with Jason Grace?’ He leaned over and whispered to Piper. ‘He used to be heaps more proper...then he met the smoking hot yours truly.’

Piper gave a small smile in acknowledgement.

She glanced around at the group.

Percy and Annabeth were throwing little snowballs at each other (or rather he was throwing them, and she was retaliating), Annabeth more relaxed than Piper had seen for years.

Frank was telling Hazel what sounded like really silly jokes in an attempt to keep her spirits up. Hazel was smiling, and occasionally giggling.

For some reason, that made Piper really upset.

Her sisters had someone.

And here she was alone.

They’d had someone for what seemed to be years (she still hadn’t gotten the full story, but how else would they be so comfortable with Percy and Frank?), while she’d been all alone.

Piper was the sister who wanted romance and true love.

Yet she was the one who hadn’t found it. (Well, until she’d met Dylan, of course.)

And they hadn’t told her, or shared their secret, or anything.

Weren’t sisters supposed to gossip about boys together?

Weren’t they supposed to share?

An anger rose in her chest. (She’d never admit it, but perhaps a good deal of it was to do with Jason’s comments. Maybe she was a little doubtful whether she’d actually found true love with Dylan, looking at how her sisters really had, and the fact that it had taken what seemed to be years. Maybe she was jealous.)

Piper rose and spoke.

‘Gentlemen, if I could speak to my sisters alone, please.’

(She’d learnt from what happened with Reyna. Annabeth was right. Some things needed to be done in private.)

The four boys rose and walked off a ways to prepare the sled and pack up the remnants of their camp.

Piper caught the way that Percy kissed Annabeth quickly before he left (completely oblivious to the source of her anger, though Annabeth seemed to at least have an inkling), and the way that Frank glanced at Hazel, who nodded at him, before he stood and followed the others.

That made her just a little bit more upset.

But she didn’t catch the way that Jason glanced at her with concern in his eyes as he followed Leo away.

Piper faced her two sisters, trying not to get mad. (Look what happened the last time, after all.)

Hazel walked hesitantly over and took her hand.

Piper fought the urge to withdraw it in spite.

Annabeth regarded her with her grey eyes, which were strangely soft, and spoke in a gentler tone than Piper had heard from her for years.

‘Piper, are you upset because we didn’t tell you about Percy and Frank, or because you didn’t have anyone all these years?’

Hazel squeezed her hand gently.

Somehow, Piper felt less angry, less upset all of a sudden.

‘I don’t know. Both, probably.’

Hazel looked down at the snow-covered ground, then back up at Piper.

‘I’m sorry, Piper.’

Annabeth nodded.

‘As am I.’

That was a big apology from Annabeth, whose pride very rarely allowed her to apologize.

The three sisters looked around at one another, guilt shining in all their eyes.

It wasn’t their entire fault, not really. The circumstances had been dreadful, after all.

But they’d drifted apart, and they had to take some blame for all of that.

They hadn’t been the best sisters to one another.

But that changed today.

Piper forgave her sisters. She opened her mouth to speak.

‘We’ve all made mistakes. We let ourselves grow distant from one another, and didn’t do what sisters should have done; let each other in. But that changes today. We’re going to be here for one another. We’re going to be good sisters to one another.’

Hazel beamed. Annabeth smiled. Piper felt herself smiling too.

She stood, pulling the other two up with her.

‘Now, let’s go get Reyna back.’

* * *

‘Reyna, there are people approaching.’

The dark-haired young woman turned to face the black-haired boy behind her.

His name was Nico, he was fourteen, and the two of them had become fast friends since she’d encountered him in a cave on top of the mountain.

Nico had even moved out of his cave and into the ice palace she’d constructed.

It was bizarre, but the two of them planned to live in isolation together, as contradictory as that seemed.

They had to, in order to keep everyone else safe.

Reyna had her ice powers.

Nico could control the dead.

There was nothing like mutual self-loathing, both having gone through years of suppression and isolation, and both having dangerous powers to make two people friends, she thought wryly.

‘How many?’

‘Jules-Albert said there were seven. Three females, four males, all about our age, maybe a little younger than you.’

Reyna closed her eyes for a moment.

Three girls.

Her sisters, surely.

(Jules-Albert, one of Nico’s zombies, wouldn’t recognize them, and neither would Nico, but who else would it be?)

‘Just...just make them leave. Please.’ Her voice cracked. ‘But don’t hurt them.’

They made eye contact for a moment, understanding passing between the two.

‘Of course.’

She smiled sadly at him.

‘Thank you.’

He didn’t smile, but his eyes softened ever so slightly.

Nico turned and left, leaving Reyna all alone.

* * *

The seven walked onwards.

They’d been confronted by all manner of zombies and ghosts on the way, seemingly intent on scaring them away.

But none of them had hurt them, though they were wary. Piper and Annabeth gripped the daggers they had taken from the armoury tightly (they had refused to let Hazel have one, but Frank had noticed her taking one anyway. He didn’t say anything.), while Frank held Hazel’s hand in his left and a sword in his right. Jason and Percy too held swords, while Leo had a handful of flames.

They crossed over the crest of a hill and stopped in shock.

A huge castle of ice rose out of the mountain.

The sisters shared a glance.

_Reyna._

They quickened their pace.

They had almost reached the door when Nico appeared, seemingly out of the shadows.

He drew some more zombies out of the earth.

They flinched, but stood their ground.

‘I can’t let you go any further.’

Piper glared at him.

‘And why not?’

He scowled at her.

‘Reyna doesn’t want to see you.’

Hazel took a step forward, and a second later, Frank did too, as if to protect her from the stranger.

‘She’s our sister!’

Nico suppressed the memories that those words created. He willed himself not to waver. He had promised Reyna.

‘So what?’

Hazel’s voice was angry when she spoke again.

‘It means that we’re there for her, and we love her and support her!’

Nico wavered ever so slightly on the inside, but did not let it show.

‘You haven’t, at least not lately, from what she’s told me.’

Annabeth stood up straighter, stormy eyes regarding Nico.

‘No, we haven’t. But we’re determined to be. We’ve made mistakes, but we are going to fix them.’

Piper nodded.

‘I...I said some things to her that I regret. Now I’m here to make them right.’

Hazel looked at him, a slightly pleading, yet firm, look in her eyes.

‘We’re here to bring our sister home. Please.’

Nico regarded the group.

Reyna was lucky, he thought.

He had no-one left now, no family, no-one to care for him, not since his mother and Bianca had passed.

He was well and truly alone, except for Reyna.

Who had a family that was willing to love her and accept her, and had come all the way up the mountain, in the cold and in the snow, and faced down a boy who could control the dead, to make things right between them and bring her home.

He wavered.

_Sorry, Reyna. But I think you’ll thank me for this later._

He and the zombies disappeared.

* * *

Piper, Annabeth and Hazel stepped into the ice palace, with Jason, Leo, Frank and Percy following behind. (It had been agreed that this was something the sisters had to do with minimal interference from the others.)

Reyna’s eyes widened slightly as she saw them, before her face returned to its usual regal expression.

Annabeth glanced around at the palace.

‘Reyna, this place is amazing...’

Hazel’s eyes were fixated on her sister.

‘What happened to you? You look so different; freer and more powerful and even stronger...’

Reyna gave a tiny smile.

‘Thank you.’

Piper stepped forward, closer to her oldest sister.

‘Reyna, I’m so sorry about what happened. If I’d known-‘

Reyna backed away from her.

‘It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. But you should probably leave. Now.’ She swallowed. ‘Please.’

Piper stepped closer to her, trying to be as non-threatening as possible while she did so, as did Annabeth and Hazel.

‘But we just got here!’

Reyna looked at them, and they could detect a hint of sadness in her eyes.

‘You belong back there.’

She pointed back down the mountain.

Hazel stepped even closer towards her sister, intending to take her hand or put a hand on her arm or shoulder.  Reyna didn’t step back from her youngest sister; she couldn’t bring herself to, but moved her hands behind her and shifted slightly away.

‘So do you.’

Hazel’s eyes were insistent and earnest.

Reyna smiled sadly at her naivety. Hazel had a determined optimism to her, and she hoped that her little sister would never lose it.

‘No, I belong here. Where I can be who I am without hurting anybody.’

Hazel looked dismayed, and tears started brimming in her eyes, but she did not let them fall.

Piper took a hesitant step forward.

‘Reyna, we were so close as kids. We can be like that again.’

Even Annabeth nodded in support of her words.

Reyna found herself smiling, before a memory returned to her.

She glanced at the white streak in Hazel’s curls.

She turned away and started up the stairs.

‘No, we can’t.’

Piper started after her.

‘Reyna, wait-‘

‘I’m just trying to protect you all!’

‘You don’t have to protect me!’

Hazel and Annabeth made for the stairs as well.

‘We’re not afraid.’

‘Please don’t shut us out again.’

They reached the top. Glancing at one another, Jason, Frank, Percy and Leo began to make their way up the stairs as well.

Reyna stood on the balcony, her back to her three sisters.

Piper walked closer to her.

‘Reyna, we understand now. We can fix this, together. You don’t have to live in fear.’

Hazel walked right over to where Reyna was standing, reaching out a hand almost as if to touch her arm.

‘We’re here for you.’

Reyna turned to face all of them.

‘Go back home, please. Your lives await. Enjoy the sun, open up the gates.’

‘Reyna-‘

‘Hazel, you mean well, but leave me be. Maybe I’m alone, but I’m free.’ She turned away again. ‘Stay away from me and you’ll be safe.’

Annabeth spoke up from her position near the doorway. (Comforting people had never been her strong suit.)

‘Actually, we’re not.’

Reyna turned around.

‘What do you mean you’re not?’

Hazel wrung her hands, while Piper fiddled with one of her braids. Annabeth bit her lip.

She was the one who spoke.

‘The kingdom’s covered in deep, deep snow.’

‘What?’

‘You’ve set off what we think is an eternal winter, all over the kingdom, not just here.’

‘Everywhere?’

Reyna looked panicked, almost.

Piper reached a hand out towards her.

‘It’s okay, you can just unfreeze it.’

Eyes widening in horror, Reyna caught a look from Hazel.

Her youngest sister nodded encouragingly at her.

_You can do it!_

Reyna shook her head, dread building in her.

‘No, I can’t. I don’t know how.’

Annabeth took a step forward.

‘We can work out a solution. Every problem has a solution.’

‘Don’t panic.’

Piper’s voice was calm and smooth, but it did Reyna no good.

Hazel looked up at her.

‘We can fix it together. We can.’

Reyna couldn’t take it anymore. She lost control.

A giant blast of ice rang out.

Hazel fell to the ground, unconscious, another white streak appearing in her hair.

Piper dropped to her knees, clutching her chest.

Annabeth screamed.

Reyna gasped.

_No, no, not again..._

That was the moment that the four boys entered the room.

Frank immediately rushed to Hazel’s side, face full of worry, and lifted her off the ice into his arms. He glared at Reyna, and she knew that if she wasn’t Hazel’s beloved sister, if Hazel hadn’t surely insisted that she would never harm her intentionally, and if his arms weren’t otherwise occupied carrying her youngest sister, he would hurt her for harming her, Queen or not. Even then, Reyna wasn’t sure if he’d hand Hazel over to one of the others and do it anyway.

‘Hazel? Oh, gods, Hazel...’

Percy hurried over to comfort Annabeth, sword in hand but not in a threatening position, keeping an eye on her.

Jason and Leo rushed over to Piper’s side, Jason’s eyes full of worry, Leo uncharacteristically still and sombre.

‘Piper, are you okay?’

She nodded in response to Jason’s question, and stood shakily.

‘I’m okay...I’m fine.’

Reyna backed away from them slowly. Leo watched her, almost with a sense of understanding and concern. Reyna shook her head, clearing those thoughts.

‘You have to go, now.’

Piper shook her head in response.

‘No, we can work this out together...’

‘Piper, I think we should go.’

‘Jason, I’m not leaving without Reyna.’

Reyna looked at her sisters. Piper, clearly in pain, leaning on Jason for support. Hazel, unconscious in Frank’s arms. Annabeth, watching on in horror and shock in Percy’s embrace.

Her eyes full of sadness, she raised her hands.

‘Yes, you are.’

* * *

The seven winced as they were put down, none too gently, by the giant menacing snowman a good distance from Reyna’s castle.

Frank, who was still carrying Hazel, looked incredibly concernedly at her, placing a hand gently on her cheek.

‘She’s still unconscious. And ice-cold.’

Piper shivered, one of her choppy braids turning white.

‘Piper, your hair. It’s turning white.’

Jason worried his lip, making the scar above his upper lip more prominent.

Annabeth looked grim.

‘Reyna struck both of them. By accident. We need to get them help.’

Leo nodded.

‘Follow me.’

They all stared at him for a moment.

He managed a grin.

‘Hey, what, I’m the super-hot McShizzle, of course I know where to go!’ He looked more serious again. ‘We’re going to see a friend of mine. She helped me to learn to control my powers.’

* * *

Piper shivered.

Jason glanced worriedly at her.

‘Are you cold?’

‘A little.’

He moved almost as if he would put an arm around her, but let it fall.

Then, his face lit up as if he had an idea.

‘Leo! Could you give us a little fire?’

The other boy obliged, and held a small flame in his hands. Jason gestured to Piper to hold her hands over Leo’s.

She felt warmer. At least, her hands did.

She smiled gratefully at both of them, perhaps lingering on Jason slightly longer.

‘Thank you.’

* * *

They entered a clearing.

Leo called out.

‘Hey, Oracle, you home? We got visitors!’

The air filled with mist, and moments later, a red-haired woman with green eyes appeared.

The woman approached, looking at Hazel and Piper with concern.

She reached Hazel first, and after sharing a look with Frank ( _I mean her no harm)_ , placed a hand on her head. Hazel stirred a moment later.

‘You were lucky it wasn’t the heart. Heads can be persuaded; hearts are far more difficult, they require an act of true love.’ She smiled. ‘Though, I do not think that would be much of a problem for you.’ She glanced meaningfully at Frank, who turned bright red and stared at his feet, flustered. Hazel, too, blushed, and started fanning her face.

It was at that moment that Piper collapsed. Jason caught her.

‘She feels like ice.’

The Oracle sighed, and shook her head sadly.

‘I cannot help her. She was struck in the heart, and she will need an act of true love.’

The others all glanced at one another.

Piper spoke, very weakly.

‘...Dylan.’

They hurried off towards the castle.

* * *

They reached the gates.

Jason carried Piper up to them.

She opened her eyes briefly.

‘Jason?’

‘I’ve got you.’

She looked gratefully up at him.

‘Are you going to be okay?’

He smiled at her.

‘Don’t worry about me.’

He handed her over to one of the castle guards.

He and Leo stood together and watched as the others entered the castle, both with worried looks on their faces.

Leo turned to leave. Jason lingered for a moment longer. Leo noticed.

‘Hey, you going to be okay, Jason?’

He nodded, but he wasn’t sure.

It felt like something was missing. There was something that should be there, something he wasn’t quite sure of himself yet, that just wasn’t there.

‘Yeah, I will be.’

* * *

Reyna groaned in frustration as her bonds froze over. If she could just free her hands, she would be so much more comfortable, she wouldn’t feel as trapped and confined...

The soldiers had shown up not long after she’d thrown her sisters and their friends out of her palace. She had forced Nico to run and leave her, not wanting him to be captured and killed as well.

She had fully expected to die, and had come to terms with it.

Her sisters had each other. They were closer than they’d ever been before, and she’d seen the way that those boys had cared for them and looked at them.

They would be happy.

They would be fine without her.

But here she was, still alive.

She owed that to Prince Dylan.

Perhaps she had misjudged him.

* * *

Dylan rushed over to Piper immediately, taking her into his arms.

Part of Piper wished it was Jason, but the rest of her told it to shut up. Dylan was her true love after all.

‘You’re so cold.’

She looked desperately at him.

‘Dylan, you have to kiss me.’

He looked confused.

‘What?’

‘Now, here we go.’

She tried to reach up and kiss him, but found herself too weak.

Behind her, Hazel clutched Frank’s hand tightly with her right, and squeezed Annabeth’s with her left.

Annabeth quickly ushered Hazel, Percy and Frank out.

‘We’ll give you some privacy.’

Dylan nodded in thanks.

‘What happened out there?’

‘Reyna struck me with her powers.’

He looked aghast.

‘You said she’d never hurt you.’

Piper sighed.

‘I was wrong, but it was an accident.’

She crumbled further into his arms.

Wordlessly, he carried her over to the couch.

‘She froze my heart...and only an act of true love can save me.’

A look of understanding passed over his face.

‘A true love’s kiss.’

He smiled tenderly at her, and placed a hand under her chin, leaning in...

Then, he stopped.

‘Oh, Piper, if only there was someone out there who really loved you.’

She stared at him.

‘What?’

He stood and paced over to the fireplace.

‘...You said you did.’

He laughed.

‘I’m thirteenth in line to the throne in my own kingdom. Do you really think I’d ever get the throne? No, I knew I’d have to marry into the throne somewhere...’

Piper’s stare changed from confused to angry.

How dare he?

(And why was she so foolish to fall for it?)

‘...As heir, Reyna would have been preferable, of course, but no-one was going to get anywhere with her. Annabeth would not be so easy to trick, it would take far too long, and I didn’t know how long I could keep up the act...besides, she didn’t seem interested at all. Hazel was too young, of course, I knew that I’d arouse all of your protective instincts if I tried for her and likely get discovered. Besides, one of your guards was glaring at me when I danced with her, so he’d probably get suspicious and work it all out, and killing him would have made things so messy...’

He smirked at her. Her anger built.

‘But you were so desperate for love you were willing to marry me, just like that.’

He stepped over to a pitcher of water, and flung it on the fireplace. The fire went out.

‘I figured, after we’d married, I’d have to arrange a little accident for all of your sisters. Though, I suppose I could have let Hazel live...’

Piper still had the dagger she’d taken from the armoury.

Weakly, she grasped it and flung it at him.

She missed.

He laughed at her pathetic attempt.

‘But then Reyna doomed herself, and you were stupid enough to set out after her. All that’s left now is to kill her, dispose of your other sisters, that pesky guard and that other boy, and bring back summer...’

She glared at him, pouring all her hatred, anger and resentment into her voice.

‘You’re no match for them.’

He bent down and locked eyes with her. She wondered how she’d ever found him attractive.

‘Oh, no, you’re no match for Reyna. Neither are any of the others. But I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save the kingdom.’

She practically spat venom at him.

‘You won’t get away with this.’

He smirked again.

‘Oh, I already have.’

He left without another word and locked her in.

Piper shivered.

‘Please, somebody, help.’

She collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Octavian shivered.

‘It’s getting colder by the minute. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll all freeze to death.’

Dylan entered, a distraught expression on his face.

Octavian turned to face him, as did the other dignitaries.

‘Prince Dylan.’

‘Princess Hazel is desperately ill, as is Princess Annabeth. Princess Piper...is dead.’

‘What?’

‘No!’

‘What happened to them?’

Dylan sunk into a chair.

‘Princess Hazel and Princess Annabeth were hurt, and Princess Piper was killed, by Queen Reyna .’

‘Their own sister.’

Dylan put his head in his hands.

‘At least we got to say our marriage vows before...before she died in my arms.’

He looked as if he was going to cry.

Octavian turned to him.

‘There can be no doubt about it. Queen Reyna is a monster and we are all in grave danger.’

One of the other dignitaries looked gravely at the Prince.

‘Prince Dylan, the kingdom looks to you.’

Dylan nodded.

‘With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Reyna with treason, and sentence her to death.’

* * *

Dylan smirked as he walked down the corridor in the dungeons to Reyna’s cell.

His plan was going perfectly.

Piper was dead.

Reyna was as good as.

Annabeth and Hazel, and those two boys, were safely locked away. The two Princesses would recover from their ‘illnesses’, but he could easily bend them to his will. He’d seen the way they looked at and treated those two boys, and the way that the two surviving Princesses had looked at each other; it was a weakness he could exploit.

He entered Reyna’s cell.

* * *

Reyna pulled furiously at her manacles.

She had misjudged Dylan, and badly.

He was evil.

He was planning on seizing the throne...and it seemed that he had succeeded.

Bitter tears rolled down her face, and for once, Reyna didn’t even try to fight them.

Piper and Hazel were dead.

And it was all her fault.

She’d killed them.

Reyna let out a horrible scream. Then another.

The storm grew more intense.

The ice on her chains grew thicker.

* * *

‘You should go back.’

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘Leo-‘

‘You’re in love with her.’

‘Leo-‘

‘And she’s in love with you.’

‘Leo-‘

Leo rounded on Jason, with a strange look in his eyes that he couldn’t quite read. Sadness, anger, and a whole other mix of emotions...

‘Look, Jason, you’ve got a really hot, really awesome girl who also happens to be a Princess who definitely really, really likes you. And you definitely really, really like her. Why are you here instead of with her?’

‘She’s with her true love, Leo!’

Leo raised an eyebrow at him.

‘You really think so? She’d only just met him!’

Jason looked at him, an indescribable mess of emotions on his face. Hope, denial, sadness...

‘We’ve only just met too.’

Leo rolled his eyes.

‘Well, then you’re at least as much her true love as that Dylan guy.’

At that moment, the storm around the castle picked up. Ice grew out of seemingly nowhere, covering its walls.

Jason stared, a look of immense worry on his face.

‘Piper.’

He took off towards the castle in a run.

Leo smirked, but there was a hint of something else in his expression.

‘That just proves my point. Who’s da man? I am!’

He ran off after his best friend.

* * *

‘Piper, wake up!’

The Princess forced herself awake.

Kneeling over her was none other than the black-haired boy who’d summoned the zombies.

‘How...how do you know my name? And how...how did you get here?’

Nico looked at her with a look that she didn’t understand.

 ‘Reyna. And I have other powers besides summoning the dead. My name is Nico, by the way.’

He hurried over and lit the fire.

‘We have to get you warm.’

As soon as the fire was warm, and she scooted closer to it, Piper felt a bit better. A bit stronger.

‘How...how did you know? To...to come help me? About...about Dylan?’

His face was cloaked in shadow as he replied.

 ‘I saw your fight with Reyna. You wouldn’t have seen me, no one would have, but I saw it. I watched you leave. I was there when they came for Reyna. She...she made me run, leave her.’

Piper smiled very, very weakly.

‘That sounds like her.’

Nico continued his story.

‘I followed. I saw her being put in the dungeons, I saw your other sisters and those two boys being locked up there too. I heard Dylan talking to himself, and I saw him leave this room.’ He paused. ‘I’m sure you get the picture. I see a lot without people seeing me.’

Piper shivered again.

Worry flashed very briefly across Nico’s face.

‘Jason is coming back for you. I saw him. You’ll get your act of true love.’

Piper sat up a little straighter, hope welling in her chest, along with some other feelings that she didn’t quite understand (but thought just might be love, real love). For once, she was lost for words.

‘He’s...he’s...’

Nico rolled his eyes, a scowl on his face.

‘Yes, he’s in love with you.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Love...love is putting someone’s needs before your own.’ Nico seemed almost to be speaking from experience. ‘Like when he brought you back here and left you forever.’

Piper tried to stand. She stumbled, and Nico caught her.

‘I’ve got to go find him.’

Nico shot a look at her.

‘You’re too weak. I can take you-‘

She shook her head firmly.

‘No, you have to go rescue Annabeth, Hazel, Percy and Frank, and Reyna. You’re the only one who can.’

Her gaze was resolute and strong. Nico understood, and stepped into the shadows.

‘You’re a good person, Piper.’

She smiled at him. A weak smile, but one nonetheless.

‘So are you.’

She swore that he smiled too, ever so slightly, as he vanished into the shadows.

Piper staggered towards the door.

Jason.

She had to find Jason.

* * *

 

_'Your sisters are dead...because of you.’_

Dylan’s voice rang in Reyna’s head as she fought to run through the storm, over the frozen lake, back towards her mountain sanctuary.

She’d failed.

Now, she would pay.

She already had, but she had to pay more.

She had to.

Hazel, sweet, innocent, strong Hazel, and Piper, bold and fierce and kind all at once Piper, deserved so much more.

She would make sure she paid.

She would.

Reyna ran.

The blizzard intensified even more.

* * *

Piper fought through the storm, shielding her face with her hands.

‘Jason!’

She had to find him. She had to.

‘Jason!’

Far away, she heard an answering call.

‘Piper!’

‘Jason!’

Unable to see one another, but determined to find each other regardless, they fought on through the icy wind and snow.

* * *

Annabeth, Percy, Frank and Hazel stumbled through the storm, Hazel clutching Annabeth and Frank’s hands, Percy holding Annabeth’s, as they fought to stay upright and move through the storm.

They searched desperately for Reyna and Piper, but could not see through the snowstorm.

They still didn’t quite believe what had just happened; they’d been locked away in the dungeons, resigned to their fate, Hazel and Frank talking quietly about Reyna accidentally hurting Hazel, clearing things up, Percy and Annabeth curled up together, the blond in shock, Percy doing everything he could to comfort her. Then, that dark-haired boy who’d summoned zombies, Nico, his name was, had shown up and filled them in, and here they were.

(He’d mentioned that he was going to fetch Leo and they would try and calm the populace. It crossed Annabeth and Frank’s minds that this was a terrible plan, since they were likely to be the worst at that, but they didn’t say anything. There were far more important things to worry about.)

They glanced at one another, or tried to, before continuing to struggle through the whiteout.

* * *

‘Reyna! You can’t run from this!’

Dylan’s voice echoed behind her.

She turned.

‘...Just...just take care of Annabeth for me.’

He laughed coldly.

‘What, the only sister you didn’t kill? Reyna, you can’t run. You’re a murderess, who killed her own sisters. _Her own sisters._ They’re dead because of you!’

It hit her even harder this time.

She dropped to her knees, broken and spent and weary.

Suddenly, the storm stopped. All was still.

Dylan approached, his sword suspended in the air...

Reyna heard it coming, but didn’t move...

She deserved this.

* * *

Suddenly, they could see. They weren’t forced to bend double, or struggle anymore.

It was eerie.

And then they saw.

Reyna, on her knees, while Dylan held up a sword above her...

Hazel didn’t think or hesitate. She just ran, and flung herself between her sister and that evil man.

‘Reyna!’

A second later, Annabeth, too, joined Hazel.

Frank drew his bow, and did his best to get a clear shot.

Percy simply ran at the Prince, intending on tackling him.

But they were too late.

Frank shot, but missed by a hair’s breadth, grazing Dylan’s arm only as he made a sudden movement, stepping out of the way of Percy, who was going too fast over the ice to stop and change direction.

Moments later, before Frank could fire off another arrow, before Percy could recover from his face-plant into the ice, Dylan had already knocked both Hazel and Annabeth out of the way (they hit the ice with a horrible noise that made both Frank and Percy wince and want to pulverize that Prince). He approached Reyna again, sword high in the air, seemingly determined to relish the moment...

* * *

The storm cleared suddenly, and Piper saw Jason, as clear as day.

Her heart seemed to beat stronger, and with renewed strength, she moved slowly towards her, while he broke into a run.

‘Piper!’

Behind her, Piper heard Hazel cry out.

‘Reyna!’

She turned immediately.

Dylan stood, sword raised high in the air, Hazel and Annabeth standing defiantly between Reyna and the Prince.

Piper glanced back at Jason, throwing him a longing look...

_I’m sorry..._

She ran as fast as she could, sapping her remaining strength, pushing herself just that bit harder when she saw Hazel and Annabeth hit the ice, and flung herself between her sister and the sword.

‘No!’

As she cried out, Piper slowly turned to ice.

Reyna watched in horror and shock.

She rushed over to Piper, and gently touched her sister’s frozen cheek.

‘Piper!’ She sobbed. ‘No, please, no...no.’

Reyna hugged her fiercely and cried.

Jason stared in shock and despair.

From the walls, many of the citizens, roused by Nico and Leo to witness the truth, echoed his expression.

Percy and Frank had successfully knocked Dylan out, and a weepy Frank now cradled a wide-eyed and teary Hazel in his arms, while Percy tried to help Annabeth, who had tears running down her face, up, with sadness in his own eyes.

Suddenly, Piper began to thaw. The ice started to disappear, and her flesh changed back...

Gasps echoed all round.

Slowly, Piper bent her arm and embraced Reyna.

‘What? Piper?’

The girl in question opened her eyes slowly. She smiled at Reyna, and then glanced at her sisters, relief in her eyes.

‘Oh, Reyna.’

The two hugged.

‘...You sacrificed yourself for me?’

‘...I love you.’

That was the truth. For all their differences, she loved Reyna. She really did. Just like she loved all of her sisters.

Hazel stood shakily, clutching Frank’s shoulder.

‘An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart.’

Reyna and Piper stared at one another.

‘Love...will thaw. Love...of course.’

The Queen looked at Piper, confidence and strength growing in her eyes.

‘Reyna?’

The young woman in question smiled.

‘Love.’

She raised her arms, and slowly, the kingdom began to thaw. The ship below them lurched and rose, bobbing up on the water like it should.

Summer had returned.

Cheers erupted from the walls, Leo’s voice clear over the crowd. Percy whooped, as did Frank. Even Jason did.

Hazel grinned at Reyna.

‘We knew you could do it!’

Annabeth smiled at her, while Piper tightened her arm around her shoulders.

Hazel ran up and embraced both Reyna and Piper firmly, with Annabeth joining in a second later.

The whole kingdom watched fondly.

_Sisters. No matter what. Sisters._

* * *

Dylan stirred as the four sisters were caught up in their embrace.

Immediately, Frank, Jason and Percy were by him, restraining him. They were joined seconds later by Leo and Nico, who had shadow-travelled.

They all shared a glance, and agreed on one thing.

The fate of his absolutely horrible excuse for a human being was in the hands of the four young women he’d hurt the most.

Leo, of course, was the first one to speak.

‘Hey, ladies!’ They broke apart slowly and turned to him. He gestured at the Prince, grinning. Nico had a sardonic look in his eyes as he looked at the Prince, while Jason, Percy and even Frank seemed very satisfied with that arrangement. ‘We’ve got something for you!’

The four sisters shared a look.

Reyna gestured at Piper.

‘Be my guest.’

She sauntered up to Dylan. (Jason stared at the swing of her hips. Percy elbowed him hard in the stomach.)

He stared at her, confused.

‘Piper? But...but she froze your heart?’

Piper smirked.

‘The only frozen heart around here is yours.’

She turned away from him...before turning back and punching him in the face. Hard.

Everyone winced. Leo cheered. Jason stared some more.

Piper met his eyes, and her grin grew a little bit wider. He grinned right back at her.

Annabeth stepped up next.

She judo-flipped the Prince, and he landed with a thump on the deck. She pulled out her dagger, and held it threateningly up to him.

‘I could castrate you, I read about a most interesting technique for it, and I’ve been dying to try it out...’ She paused as if thinking. ‘Or perhaps I could use you for anatomy studies. I’ve always wanted to try a hands-on approach...’

Her stormy eyes grew even darker.

‘Keep that in mind.’

She walked away from the cowering Prince.

Jason kicked Percy in the shin. ‘You’re drooling.’

Leo stared at him. ‘Seriously, man? Seriously?’

Hazel stepped up, armed with a frying pan she’d picked up off the deck of the ship.

‘This is what happens if you try and hurt my family.’

She whacked him hard with the frying pan. A loud crack was heard.

Everyone stared. She turned away from the evil man, and met Frank’s gaze. He was staring at her in awe.

‘That was freaking incredible!’

She grinned, somewhat sheepishly, and fanned her face, flustered.

‘One of the coronation guests mentioned to me that a frying pan was pretty handy weapon.’

There were a few laughs, even from Reyna, who then stepped up and glared at Dylan.

‘I think my sisters have made it pretty clear, but just in case...I’ll make it as clear as crystal.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Or maybe it should be ice.’

She waved her arms, and Dylan found himself chained up with ice chains. Another wave, and he found himself wearing ice flotation devices.

Reyna then pushed him overboard into the lake.

_Serves him right._

* * *

Dylan was tossed into the brig of a ship, none too gently.

‘...I will return this scoundrel to his country. We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behaviour.’

* * *

Octavian protested as he was escorted onto a ship.

‘This is unacceptable! I am a victim of fear! I’ve been traumatized!’

The guard rolled his eyes.

‘I have a message from the Queen. The Duke of Weaseltown, while trade with his kingdom is still welcome, is henceforth banned from this kingdom.’

Octavian shook his fists, teddy bear on his belt bouncing furiously.

‘Wesselton! It’s Wesselton!’

* * *

Piper laughed as she dragged Jason and Leo by the hands through the city.

They passed Frank and Hazel, who were sitting in the marketplace, eating ice-cream, Hazel laughing at something that the guard said. A moment later, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, turning his cheeks red.

Piper beamed.

_How adorable!_

They passed the beach, where Percy and Annabeth were standing, about knee deep in the water, bickering as he tried to splash her with water. Eventually, Annabeth gave up on staying relatively dry, and just tackled him into the waves.

‘Wise Girl!’

‘You didn’t see that coming? You really do have seaweed for brains, Seaweed Brain!’

Piper, Jason and Leo shared a glance, suppressing laughter.

_Those two were crazy. Crazy good together, yes, but crazy._

They passed Reyna, who was setting up an ice-rink in the middle of the city, making it snow. The local children stared in awe and wonder.

She raised an eyebrow at Piper ( _You coming later?),_ who nodded ( _Wouldn’t miss it for the world!_ ).

Not long after passing Reyna, Piper finally stopped.

She gestured to a blacksmith’s shop, newly outfitted and kitted out with the latest in everything.

Leo gaped.

She smiled at him.

Jason beamed, and squeezed her hand.

‘It’s yours, Leo.’

He turned to her in shock.

‘Are you sure? I...I can’t accept this...’

‘You have to. Queen’s orders. You’re now the official tinkerer and inventor of the kingdom.’

Leo marvelled as if all of his Christmases and birthdays had come at once.

He actually hugged her.

‘Thank you, Beauty Queen! I love it...I could kiss you...’ He glanced at Jason, who didn’t look very happy with that idea. Leo smirked. ‘But of course I won’t, don’t worry, Sparky.’

And without another word, he rushed off to examine his new workshop.

Piper turned to Jason, who was still a bit pink.

She cupped his cheek gently.

‘Are you sure you don’t want a reward too? I mean, Leo’s got a workshop, and we gave Percy a year’s worth of blue food and promoted Frank...’

He smiled at her.

‘Nope. I’ve got everything I want.’

He bent down to kiss her, and as she kissed him back, Piper had never felt warmer.

They broke apart, just as Reyna, followed by Annabeth, Hazel, Percy, Frank and half the city’s children, skated past, laughing and smiling.

‘Come on, Piper! You too, Jason!’

Reyna waved her hands, and Piper and Jason suddenly had skates on their feet. The Queen skated over, and grabbed Piper by the hands, pulling her onto the giant ice-rink she had created, which seemed to cover half the city.

Piper grinned as she skated around with her loved ones.

Once, she swore she even saw Nico, watching from the shadows.

Her grin grew wider.

_All was well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit that I feel that Piper, and to a lesser extent Reyna and Jason, are out-of-character (as are some more minor characters like Octavian and Dylan), but this was the best I could do to make this AU work, and I really, really wanted to write it. I know that characterization is important for the readers of this story, and it is very important to me too, but I got this idea and I just had to write it- please forgive me? 
> 
> Also, logically, since Rachel could teach Leo to control his powers, she should have been able to teach Reyna, but she didn’t offer, because it requires too much time spent with her, she knew Reyna’s parents would never accept it- Reyna is to be Queen. Also, the whole thing kind of had to happen to bring the sisters together this way, and you know, Fate.


	13. Mutant

Will Solace sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he unpacked his belongings in his new room at Chiron’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

There was an awful lot to take in.

He looked down at his hands.

He could heal people by laying his hands on them, like some weird faith healer or something.

The power had manifested when he was about thirteen, and he’d hidden it for almost two years. (Mutants were not exactly welcomed by many.)

Then, it turned out, he’d been discovered by this Chiron and his school, who’d sent people to fetch him, and convince his mother to let him attend, and here he was.

In a school full of kids like him.

Definitely a lot to take in.

Will glanced at the other bed in the room.

Luckily his roommate (a boy named Cecil, according to Chiron) wasn’t here. He wasn’t sure if he could deal with any more shocks right now. (Chiron had warned him that Cecil liked to play pranks.)

Suddenly, Will found himself with a hand on his shoulder.

‘Hey, roomie, welcome!’

He jumped.

A boy of about his own age with light brown hair and a mischievous look in his eyes was standing beside him.

He held out a hand for Will to shake.

‘I’m Cecil.’

Will took it.

‘Will. Will Solace.’ He paused for a moment. ‘How...how did you get in here so quickly?’

Cecil grinned.

‘Super-speed. Pretty cool, isn’t it?’

At that moment, a black-haired girl with green eyes appeared out of thin air.

Will jumped again.

Both Cecil and the girl laughed.

‘It’s always so much fun to scare the newbies...’ The girl held out a hand. ‘I’m Lou Ellen, by the way. I can create illusions, disguises, fiddle around with memories, magicky sort of stuff.’ She shrugged. ‘We call it manipulating the Mist. Kind of simpler that way.’

Will stared at the two, still somewhat in shock.

Cecil broke the silence.

‘Anyway, what can you do?’

Will held up his hands.

‘I can heal others.’

The two nodded.

‘Cool!’

‘Definitely useful.’

Cecil grabbed one shoulder, and Lou Ellen the other, and they led him out of his room.

‘Guys, where are we going?’

The two glanced at each other and grinned.

‘We’re showing you around, of course!’

Will raised an eyebrow.

‘Why do I feel like I’m in Mean Girls?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen laughed.

‘Oh, don’t worry, most people here are nice.’

‘Most of the time anyway.’

* * *

‘...This is our kitchen slash snack room.’

‘We’ve got a dining hall too, where we have breakfast and lunch and dinner, but since teenagers get hungry all the time and some people’s powers make them extra-hungry, Chiron had this installed.’

‘There’s always a decent selection of snacks, and you can rustle up your own food, like eggs or pancakes or toast or something.’

They walked into the room, which was empty except for a blonde girl of about seventeen sitting at a large table covered in pieces of paper, what looked like a half-finished model of a building, and a laptop, and a black-haired boy of about the same age cooking a large batch of _blue_ pancakes.

Cecil and Lou Ellen shared a smirk.

‘This is going to be good.’

They plonked Will down at a table in the corner and gestured for him to watch. He obeyed, supremely confused.

The boy walked up to the girl.

‘Hey, how’s it going?’

‘Uh, no thanks.’

‘Okay...have you eaten anything today?’

‘I think Leo is on duty. Ask him.’

‘So, my hair is on fire.’

‘Okay, in a while.’

Cecil and Lou Ellen were sniggering. Will was too confused to find it funny.

_What in the world is going on?_

The boy deposited the large plate of blue pancakes he was holding right in front of her. (Will noticed that he carefully avoided all of her paper, and her laptop, somehow.)

He held up a huge bottle of maple syrup.

‘Annabeth, if you don’t stop and eat, I’m going to drown these pancakes in maple syrup.’

‘Jason and Piper are on a date, they’re flying around the lake, I think.’

The boy looked supremely serious.

‘Annabeth, in three seconds, these pancakes are going to drown. Three, two, one...’

‘It’s four-umph!’

Annabeth’s eyes widened as the boy shoved a forkful of blue pancake into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed...and then seized the fork from the boy and started eating ravenously.

The boy smirked in triumph and did a fist-pump.

‘Oh, yeah!’

Cecil and Lou Ellen laughed harder. Will started wondering whether everyone here was insane and it was really an asylum.

By now, half the pancakes had disappeared (Annabeth must have been _really_ hungry). However, mid-way through transferring another forkful to her mouth, she stopped, and glared at the boy with stormy grey eyes.

‘Seaweed Brain...what did I tell you about disturbing me while I’m in the middle of a project?’

The boy gulped nervously.

‘Not to do it...’ He pouted. ‘But you haven’t eaten all day long, Wise Girl! You were starving!’

She rolled her eyes, but Will swore it was almost in an affectionate way.

‘You have kelp for brains, Seaweed Brain! I was just about to make a breakthrough, and you just had to-‘

She cut off as the boy took off, yelling ‘save me, anybody’, running past Will, Cecil and Lou Ellen, who appeared to be about to collapse from laughter.

Annabeth immediately followed the boy (Seaweed Brain?), rushing past, muttering under her breath about being in love with a really sweet boy with a mental age of five who made really delicious pancakes.

Will just stared.

Cecil and Lou Ellen calmed down, very slowly, and started explaining.

‘That’s Annabeth and Percy.’

‘They’ve been here for a long time; she’s been here since she was seven, him since he was twelve.’

‘They’re crazy–close, and probably the most loved couple around here. Everyone was like _finally_ when they got together last year.’

‘They’re big heroes too, all the little kids look up to them.’ Lou Ellen smiled. ‘They all want to be Percy Jackson when they grow up.’

Will nodded, a small frown on his face.

‘Should we...umm...go save Percy?’

Lou Ellen and Cecil laughed.

‘Nah, she’s just going to push him into the lake.’

Lou Ellen continued after seeing the concerned expression on Will’s face (drowning killed a lot more people than most thought!).

‘Relax, Percy can control water and breathe under it. He also recently developed this secondary mutation that allows him to talk to sea creatures. He’ll be fine.’

‘Annabeth knows that; she would never do anything to hurt him deliberately.’

‘Annabeth knows _everything_ ; she’s got the fourth highest IQ ever recorded.’ Cecil pouted. ‘Never make bets against her, you’ll always lose.’

As they walked out of the kitchen/snack room, Lou Ellen and Cecil regaled Will with more stories about Percy and Annabeth.

Only three months ago, they’d been freed after being imprisoned by a very evil man called Tartarus for almost two weeks.

It was generally believed that they only made it through alive and not completely damaged because they’d been together. (Apparently, today they were having a good day. There were days when the trauma they’d been through was all too apparent.)

Will was left with the impression that they were a really, really bizarre couple, but that for some reason, they also belonged together.

_Guess relationships don’t always make much sense at all._

* * *

‘...And here are the grounds. They’re quite big, and we’ve got free roam of them when we’re not in classes and before curfew, of course.’

‘Though, there are heaps of ways to sneak out if you want. Just be careful of the harpies.’

Will looked confused. (That was becoming a habit.)

‘Harpies?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen nodded.

‘They’re flying robot ladies who do the cleaning and make sure we don’t sneak out and guard the grounds and stuff.’

Will nodded hesitantly.

‘...Okay.’

‘Hey, Cecil, hey, Lou Ellen! Hello, newbie!’

Will looked up, following the sound of the voice.

The speaker was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, who appeared to be Native American in heritage.

The weirdest thing was that she was _flying_ in mid-air, supported by the waist by a guy who greatly resembled a teenage blond Superman with gold-rimmed glasses.

Cecil and Lou Ellen waved back at her.

‘Hi, Piper!’

‘This is Will Solace! He’s my roommate!’

The blonde guy looked at Will, smiling.

‘Be careful, Will. Cecil and the Stoll brothers are always up to something...Don’t let them take your stuff or prank you too much!’

Will glanced at Cecil, who just smiled a little too innocently.

He turned back to blonde Superman.

‘Thanks...’ He took a guess. ‘Jason?’

He looked a little surprised that Will knew his name ( _flying date around the lake_ did make it pretty obvious), but he nodded, and landed, arm still around Piper’s waist. He shook hands firmly with Will.

‘It’s nice to meet you.’

Will smiled back at him.

‘Thanks, it’s nice to meet you too, Jason.’

Piper, too, shook his hand in welcome.

‘It’s always a little hard, settling in. There’s a lot of odd people and odd happenings around here, but you’ll find your feet and belong in no time.’

Funnily enough, that was exactly what Will wanted to hear. Piper must be good at reading people and saying the right things. Really good.

Jason seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he and Piper were looking at each other in a way that suggested Will, Cecil and Lou Ellen should probably give them some alone time. (It probably served them right for interrupting their date.)

It was Piper who spoke up.

‘Cecil, Lou Ellen, maybe you should take Will to see the training room. I think Frank and Hazel are there...’

As they walked back towards the buildings, Cecil and Lou Ellen told him a bit about Jason and Piper.

Piper’s power was charmspeak; she could convince people to do almost anything. (Apparently, she’d once persuaded some guy called Leo who pretty much only ate junk food to eat his vegetables. She got kudos from Will for that, he was all for improving nutrition; a balanced diet was important!)

Jason could control the weather, but for some reason, his powers worked particularly well on lightning and wind. That enabled him to fly.

Will was suddenly struck by a thought. Not only did Jason resemble Superman, he also looked like...

‘Wait a moment...Is Jason’s surname Grace by any chance?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen nodded.

‘Yeah.’

‘Jupiter Grace is his father.’

(Jupiter Grace was a well-known politician, who was considered a frontrunner for the next presidential election. He also had some policies regarding mutants that were not so pleasant...)

Cecil caught the look on Will’s face.

‘Yeah, don’t mention his father to him. In fact, just don’t mention his father.’

Lou Ellen chipped in.

‘And before you ask, yes, Piper is Tristan McLean’s daughter, don’t mention that either.’

‘...I didn’t know that Tristan McLean had a daughter.’

Lou Ellen smiled wryly. Very wryly.

‘If you were a Hollywood star, would you want a mutant for a daughter?’

The tone of the conversation was rapidly turning dark and uncomfortable for all of them. Will could read it, plain as day, on the other two’s faces.

He tried to change the topic, at least somewhat.

‘Jason doesn’t seem like a politician’s son.’

It worked.

Lou Ellen smiled in reminiscence.

‘He used to be oh-so-perfect and always politically correct and everything when he first got here...’

Cecil smirked.

‘And now he’s loosened up, big time. It’s awesome!’

Lou Ellen whispered conspiratorially to Will.

‘The first few months, though...they were like something out of a soap opera! I’ve never been so entertained in my life!’

Cecil nodded.

‘There was the whole rivalry between him and Percy...’

‘...And the whole Piper-Drew catfight over him...’

‘...And not to mention the drama with Reyna...’

‘...Seriously, don’t mention it, or she’ll skin you alive.’

* * *

Will was led up to a large glass window, which looked into a large glass box, which looked into a large room.

Inside the glass box, there was a little girl of about six, and a teenage girl, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, with curly cinnamon hair and dark skin. Both girls had their back to Will, Lou Ellen and Cecil, and were watching what was going on inside the large room.

Inside, there was an extremely tall, extremely muscular Asian boy of about sixteen with a buzz cut. He was surrounded by holographic figures, some just black, shadowy shapes, others appearing to be some of the other kids that Will had seen around (there was a girl with green skin and boy with goat legs that he swore he saw out in the grounds, and a figure that looked exceedingly like Jason). He appeared to be directing them and giving them orders.

From his size, Will guessed that his power was super-strength or something.

A moment later, before his eyes, the boy changed into a grizzly bear. Will blinked in shock.

Lou Ellen and Cecil grinned. They were enjoying this way too much.

Will’s two guides turned him away from the window and started explaining.

‘That’s Frank. He can turn into animals.’

Cecil looked at him, serious for once.

‘What did you think his power was when you saw him?’

Will was a little blindsided, but he replied fairly promptly.

‘Super-strength?’

Cecil did a fist-pump.

‘Pay up, Lou Ellen!’

The girl rolled her eyes and handed Cecil five bucks.

She punched Will lightly in the shoulder.

‘Damn it, Solace, I thought you were perceptive! Everyone always thinks that Frank has super-strength!’

‘Does he? I mean, judging by his size, he’s got to be pretty strong...’

The two shrugged.

‘Yeah, he’s definitely at least as strong and athletic as he looks, but no-one knows if that’s natural or a secondary mutation.’

‘His parents were both soldiers, so...’

Will gestured towards the curly-haired girl.

‘And I guess that’s Hazel, then?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen both nodded.

‘Yup. She’s got geokinesis, as well as Mist powers.’

‘But she’s not as good as Lou Ellen here.’

Will might have been imagining it, but the girl in question blushed as Cecil’s statement. Was there something going on between those two? There seemed to be a lot of couples at this school...

He didn’t say anything, though, and furrowed his brow in confusion.

‘Isn’t it unusual for someone to have two completely unrelated powers?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen shared a glance, and seemed to be having a silent conversation.

They looked seriously at him.

‘Hazel didn’t originally have the ability to manipulate the Mist. It didn’t manifest with her other powers.’

‘When she was about eleven, her mother moved her from New Orleans, where she was born, to Alaska, and she was experimented on for a while.’

‘It’s believed that’s where she got that power from.’

Will was horrified.

Human experimentation...people experimenting on mutants...he’d heard of the theories and allegations, of course, but never actually had any proof that it happened...

‘That’s...that’s horrible! How could anyone...their own daughter...’

Lou Ellen and Cecil nodded.

‘Hazel escaped about a year and a half ago. Her mother died in the process.’

They dropped their voices.

‘The rumour around here is that Hazel’s mother had a change of heart and freed her daughter...but was killed in the process.’

‘Not many people know the true story. Only her really close friends do.’

‘And Nico and Frank, of course.’

‘Nico’s her half-brother. It’s a really complicated story.’

‘Essentially, he was the one who found Hazel and Frank and brought them here.’

Will looked confused (so Hazel and Frank had known each other _before_ Hazel met her brother?), and Lou Ellen explained further.

‘Frank was raised by his mother and his grandmother in Canada. His mother was killed in Afghanistan about a year and a half ago. Frank’s grandmother, who was apparently a bit crazy, took him up to the Canada-Alaska border, which is where they stumbled upon Hazel. His grandmother, who knew a lot about mutants, recognized her as one, just like her grandson, and they took her in.’

Cecil took up the story.

‘They apparently all lived happily for a while, until Frank’s house was attacked by anti-mutant militants.’

‘His grandmother was killed, but Frank and Hazel managed to escape.’

‘Most people believe that she probably held them off while they did, if she was anything like Frank.’

‘Frank and Hazel were on the run together for a while, before they managed to get here. They’re very, very close.’

Will turned back to the window, and noticed that Frank was a human again, and the black figures were all gone. The holograms of the other kids were all that remained, standing seemingly free of serious injuries. A moment later, they all disappeared.

Lou Ellen and Cecil guided him through a doorway, into the training room.

They entered just in time to see Hazel rush over to Frank and fling her arms around him.

‘That was amazing, Frank! You beat Annabeth’s maximum difficulty simulation!’

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, pride shining in her eyes. Frank’s cheeks pinked.

Neither of them seemed to have noticed that they were being watched.

It was the little girl tugging on Hazel’s shirt that alerted them.

‘Umm...Hazel, Frank?’

Both teenagers suddenly noticed Cecil, Lou Ellen and Will, who waved at them with varying degrees of sheepishness ranging from Will (rather sheepish) to Cecil (completely unashamed).

Hazel blushed, while Frank shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Hello, Cecil, Lou Ellen. And...?’

Hazel walked up to them, still a little pink, and held out a hand for Will to shake.

‘I’m Hazel.’

‘Will Solace.’

She smiled at him.

‘It’s lovely to meet you, Will.’

Frank, too, walked up and shook his hand.

Will winced at his grip.

Frank noticed, and immediately started apologizing, blush returning with a vengeance.

‘Oh my gods, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?  I didn’t mean to, I swear, I just-‘

Will held up his other hand, stopping Frank mid-sentence.

‘Hey, it’s okay. No harm done.’

Frank smiled sheepishly at him, but still looked a bit guilty.

‘Well, anyway, welcome.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I’m really sorry.’

Hazel reached out and patted her boyfriend’s arm comfortingly, and exchanged a few quiet words with him. 

The big guy brightened visibly.

(Will was rather glad of that; his hand still hurt, sure, but Frank felt way too bad about something that wasn’t really his fault.)

The little girl, who had pigtails and was missing two front teeth, marched up to Will and held her hand out to shake his.

‘I’m Julia, and when I grow up, I’m going to be Percy Jackson!’

Hazel smiled and ruffled the little girl’s hair fondly.

‘That’s a good thing to be, Julia.’

‘Although, Frank Zhang would be good, too.’

‘Frank!’

After that, they waved goodbye to Frank, Hazel and Julia and left the training room.

Will shook his head like a dog trying to dry itself.

He had a fair bit to process.

Trying to reconcile the Hazel and Frank he’d just met with the Hazel-and-Frank description provided by Cecil and Lou Ellen was a bit tricky.

Lou Ellen and Cecil seemed to pick up on this. (Perhaps this was one of the tricks played on all newbies, like the meeting-Percy-and-Annabeth one; introduce them to the scary-sounding couple who are actually really sweet and adorable.)

‘Not what you expected?’

Will shook his head.

‘Well, after watching Frank beat that simulation, and what you told me, I was expecting them to be...scarier. More standoffish.’

The two nodded.

‘Yeah, that’s what most people think.’

‘And they can be. Well, sort-of anyway.’

Will raised an eyebrow. He had a hard time believing that.

Lou Ellen and Cecil nodded seriously.

‘They’re very protective of one another, and very devoted to one another after everything they’ve shared, rather like Percy and Annabeth.’

‘Couple of ground rules: don’t hit on Hazel. There was a bit of a mess a few months ago when Leo tried when he was new.’

‘Don’t worry, everything’s good between them now, but just don’t do it.’

Will nodded.

‘She’s not my type anyway.’

(And wasn’t that the truth.)

‘And don’t bully Frank, or Hazel will tell you off big time.’

Cecil shook his head.

‘And man, that’s kind of embarrassing, and it makes you feel really, really guilty.’

Will could see that.

He was kind of confused why anyone would hit on Hazel since she and Frank were so close, and kind of confused as to why that would create tension between Hazel and Frank, and rather confused as to why anyone would dare bully Frank, but he chalked it up to everyone here being a mutant teenager, and the insecure vibe that he’d glimpsed in Frank.

‘Any other dos-and-don’ts I should know about?’

Cecil and Lou Ellen started checking them off on their fingers.

‘Don’t cross Piper or you’ll end up doing something embarrassing.’

‘Only Percy can get away with interrupting Annabeth during one of her projects.’

‘Don’t wake Jason up in the middle of the night or your hair will stand on end for a week.’

‘Percy and Annabeth are allowed to sleep in the same room because of what they went through with Tartarus, don’t complain about it being unfair or all their friends will kill you.’

‘Don’t give Leo caffeine or sugar.’

‘Don’t take any of his stuff.’

‘Don’t make yo momma jokes around Leo. There’s a really, really tragic backstory there.’

‘Don’t make them to anyone, actually.’

‘You’re probably better off never mentioning parents.’

‘Never interrupt Travis Stoll’s pranks on Katie Gardner, that’s their method of flirting.’

Will’s head swam.

Boy, did he have a lot to learn.

* * *

‘...Leo? Uh, Leo?’

‘Repair Boy?’

‘Super-hot McShizzle?’

‘Da man?’

‘LEO!’

The Latino boy who greatly resembled an elf ignored them, far too absorbed playing with the bits of metal he was tinkering with and muttering to himself about gears and chassis and a whole lot of other words that Will didn’t know.

To be fair, he hadn’t noticed that he was on fire (as was his shirt), so he probably couldn’t be expected to notice three people.

Cecil and Lou Ellen shrugged like this was a normal occurrence.

‘You can meet Leo later.’

‘He’ll probably forcibly introduce himself to you anyway.’

Will looked rather concerned. (Burns were a seriously underestimated injury!)

‘Shouldn’t we tell him he’s on fire?’

The other two shook their heads.

‘He’s a fire-user.’

‘He’s completely fire-proof.’

‘Though, his clothes aren’t.’

‘That causes problems sometimes.’

* * *

‘Don’t you dare think about it, di Angelo.’

Cecil and Lou Ellen froze, and gestured at Will to be quiet.

The dark-haired boy of about fourteen dressed all in black scowled at the Latina girl of about sixteen or seventeen.

‘I don’t belong here, Reyna. Never will.’

‘That’s bull and you know it.’ Her tone softened somewhat. ‘Nico, you _do_ belong here. You’re a mutant, just like the rest of us, and this is our home.’

He scoffed, crossing his arms.

(So that was Hazel’s brother. He was kind of cute, Will thought, in a dark and broody sort of way.)

‘Yeah, right. I can summon the dead, Reyna.’ He fiddled with a skull ring on his finger. ‘You know how people look at me here.’

Reyna rolled her eyes.

‘I know how people _used_ to look at you. After what you did three months’ back and saving Percy and Annabeth-‘

‘You know as well as I do that that wasn’t me, it was a team effort.’

‘So? You helped save Percy and Annabeth. You helped to save the School. You are a hero, Nico! People don’t look at you that way anymore!’

He shrugged.

‘I was just doing what I had to do.’

‘That’s what all heroes do.’

He scowled.

‘You of all people know my motives weren’t exactly...pure, Reyna.’

‘Does it matter?’

Her tone was gentle, almost.

He shook his head, dismissing the subject.

‘They’re still scared of me.’

Reyna rolled her eyes again.

‘Nico, your powers scare _me_ a little bit sometimes. Think about it. It’s pretty normal to be scared of people’s powers around here.’

(Will could definitely second that.)

Reyna continued.

‘It doesn’t mean that the others don’t accept you.’ Nico opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. ‘Yeah, there are always going to be those who don’t, but you know it’s a minority now.’ Nico tried to say something, but was cut off yet again. ‘And don’t you dare say that they’ll revert again; remember how people used to see Hazel? Or how they used to treat Frank?’ She paused for a moment, seemingly evaluating her next statement. Her tone was gentle as she spoke. ‘You know, nobody liked Percy when he first came either.’

Nico swallowed, as if there was a tennis ball stuck in his throat. There was silence for a moment, as Reyna let her words sink in, before she continued again.

‘Besides, Nico, you c _an’t_ leave. Me, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank and so on aren’t going to let you. We’ll hunt you down and drag you back here. Hazel will be devastated...’ Reyna paused again, and there was almost a note of humour in her voice when she spoke again. ‘...And so Frank might kill you, and I, for one, won’t stop him.’

Nico gave a very small, very sardonic smile at that.

(He had a lovely smile, Will thought. He wondered what it would be like as a full-blown grin, and resolved to find out.)

‘One month. I’ll stay for one month, and then we’ll see.’

Reyna nodded, seemingly knowing that that was the biggest concession she’d get.

She stepped forward and engulfed him in a big hug.

Nico hesitated for a moment, almost as if he would pull away (Will thought he might have an issue with touching), but didn’t, and instead, buried his head in her shoulder. Will could just see him blinking back tears.

Cecil and Lou Ellen dragged Will away (he didn’t really want to leave, but he didn’t have much of a choice).

He barely heard them explain that Nico could travel through shadows and control the dead, and that Reyna could share her strength with others and to not to call her by her full name (which was really long, and pretty hard to pronounce anyway). His mind was too occupied with thoughts of a dark-haired, broody, seemingly noble and heroic, yet insecure, boy who apparently really loved his sister and the colour black.

When Will and Nico’s eyes met completely accidentally at dinner that night, Will swore he felt skeletal butterflies in his stomach, and wondered whether Nico could control dead insects.

He resolved to find out.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

* * *

‘So where were you?’

Nico stared at him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’ve been stuck in the infirmary for, like, two days, and you don’t come by. You don’t offer to help.’

Nico looked shocked, and a little angry.

‘I...what? Why would you want me in the same room with people you’re trying to heal? Why would _anyone_ want that?’

‘You can’t help out a friend? Maybe cut bandages? Bring me a soda or a snack? Or just a simple, _How’s it going, Will?_ You don’t think I could stand to see a friendly face?’

‘What... _my_ face?’

It was mostly shock now.

Will nodded.

‘Gods, you’re so dense. Yeah, di Angelo, I consider you my friend.’

Nico stared at him some more.

Both boys had a hundred skeletal butterflies holding a rave in their stomachs.

* * *

_Another three weeks later_

* * *

Will had panicked.

He’d kind of lost it when Nico di Angelo was carried into the infirmary, almost melting into the shadows and barely substantial, having clearly overexerted himself with Underworldy stuff while trying to bring some new students to the School.

(Underworldy stuff was what Will called Nico’s powers; it was a long story, involving Nico’s favourite game, Mythomagic and his favourite character, Hades.)

It was only the knowledge that if he didn’t do something, and pull himself together, that Nico would _die_ that got him going properly.

As he healed the boy, he overheard some whispers about how brave and heroic Nico had been, practically sacrificing himself to bring the kids to safety.  Will sighed. He’d make sure to tell Nico when he woke, but he hoped that the whispers would still be going around when he did; Nico probably wouldn’t believe him.

It was almost a whole day later that Nico finally stirred, looking less like a ghost and more like a person.

Will grinned at him.

‘Good. You’re alive. You had quite a lot of people worried for a while; Hazel cried herself to sleep and Frank had to carry her to bed. You’re going to get quite a reception once you can get up.’ His face turned more serious. ‘I hope you’ve gotten over that nonsense about leaving.’

Nico’s face flashed through a broad range of emotions. (Solace...Solace was infuriating. He knew exactly what buttons to push- if Frank had done anything inappropriate with Nico’s baby sister, he would pulverise the guy, unlikely as it was- wait, did Solace actually care about him? It sounded almost as if he’d been worried sick about him too, and...that he really wanted Nico to stay.)

‘I-yeah. I did. I mean, I’m staying.’

Will nodded, and Nico watched closely. He seemed almost...relieved?

‘Good. So you may be dense, but you’re not an idiot.’

Nico stared at him. Solace was either really brave and really stubborn, or just really stupid.

‘How can you even talk to me like that? Don’t you know I can summon zombies and skeletons and-‘

The medic crossed his arms.

‘Right now, you couldn’t summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness, di Angelo. No more Underworldy stuff, doctor’s orders. You owe me at least three days of rest in the infirmary. Starting _now.’_

Nico wanted to complain, because surely he’d been out for a while, and shouldn’t that count? But in the end, the prospect of three days in the infirmary with Will Solace didn’t seem _unbearable._

Besides, Solace would kill him if he tried to escape.

Nico sighed and scowled. (He might have been putting it on a little, but he had a reputation to maintain.)

‘Fine.’

Will beamed, before his expression changed quickly back into his stern doctor’s look.

Nico missed the beam.

And the stupid skeletal butterflies were back.

He cursed internally.

This was all Solace’s fault.

Doctor’s orders, really?


	14. Sea Change

Annabeth Chase smiled as she unpacked the last box in her new cottage by the sea in the village of Olympia.

The thirty-year-old architect, like so many people nowadays, had decided that she’d needed a sea change, and hence, after careful planning, moved out of New York City to start a (somewhat) new life in the country, away from the hustle and the bustle and the rat race.

Now, she would commute to and from work two days a week, and the other three working days, she would work on her projects from home and use video conferencing. Thank the gods for the Internet.

She sighed as she stretched and checked to make sure everything was in place.

Well, that was all the moving done (she’d arrived the night before), but now she had to go buy some groceries. (She’d had takeaway that she’d brought with her from New York for both dinner and breakfast.)

Locking her brand new front door, Annabeth decided to walk into town.

Take in some of the sea air, and see the sights of her new home.

* * *

Olympia had only one butcher, one baker and one greengrocer’s, and no supermarket to speak of, so the shopping didn’t take very long. Annabeth was just putting some spinach in a bag at the greengrocer’s when she heard a woman’s voice behind her.

‘Hello!’

She turned to see a young woman with choppy brown braids and very colourful eyes standing behind her, holding her own basket and wearing a friendly smile.

The woman held out a hand for her to shake.

‘I’m Piper. Welcome to Olympia.’

Annabeth, a bit surprised, shook hands with her.

‘I’m Annabeth Chase. Thank you.’ She paused for a moment. ‘How did you know I was new in town?’

Piper laughed.

‘There aren’t all that many people here! Besides, I thought I recognized a fellow sea-changer.’

Annabeth smiled wryly.

‘I guess I’m a little obvious.’

(She’d been a little lost in the greengrocer’s, and she knew that the way she dressed was very distinct from the locals.)

Piper smiled warmly at her.

‘You’ll settle in fine, don’t you worry.’ She hesitated for a brief moment. ‘Do you have plans for lunch? Why don’t you come and have lunch with me and my fiancé, at Frank and Hazel’s? It’s the best cafe in town.’

(If Annabeth remembered correctly, it was one of only two in town, three if one included the bar, so perhaps that wasn’t extremely high praise.)

But, she was keen to make some new friends and get immersed in Olympia life (that was why she’d moved after all), so she smiled and nodded.

‘That would be lovely, thank you, Piper.’

* * *

That night, Annabeth curled up on her couch with a book, musing on her day and the two new people she’d met.

Piper, it turned out, was twenty-nine years old, and worked as a psychologist in a nearby town. She was also a famous actor’s daughter, though she hated people knowing that and hence rarely mentioned her surname.

Jason, her fiancé, was also twenty-nine, and was the son of Jupiter Grace, the CEO of Jupiter Incorporated, one of the biggest corporations in the USA. He’d worked for his father’s business for years, before deciding that it just wasn’t for him. Now, he was a small-time accountant and coach of the local football team.

They were so much happier, apparently, since they’d moved to Olympia six months ago.

Their wedding was set for six months from now. (Apparently, they’d gotten engaged only about two months ago.)

Annabeth smiled, remembering a story that Piper had shared with her about Jason eating a stapler as a baby.

She was pretty sure she’d just made some great new friends.

* * *

A week after she’d moved, Annabeth smiled to herself as she ate lunch at Frank and Hazel’s. It turned out that the cafe’s name was actually Dragon’s Treasure, but everyone just called it Frank and Hazel’s, after the owners, who were also sea-changers.

It was a lovely little cafe, and served cooked dishes as well as an assortment of baked goods. The decor had been chosen by Hazel, who had an eye for design, while the baking was handled by Frank, who had a gift for it.

Though, Annabeth shook her head, smiling, you wouldn’t know it looking at him.

Frank was twenty-nine years old, and was a very, very big guy. He was a former Marine, honourably discharged last year after ten years of service, having enlisted straight out of high school. He and his high school sweetheart Hazel, twenty-six, had moved to Olympia the month after he was discharged, having been planning it for some time. They’d opened up the cafe, and had now been married almost three months.

Annabeth polished off her cake, and stood to pay and walk home (she had to burn off the extra calories somehow, or at least try).

As Hazel handed her the change, she and Annabeth and Frank chatted for a moment.

Annabeth smiled at the couple.

‘I can’t help but keep coming back to try whatever Frank has baked every day. I think I might put on a few pounds by the end of the month!’

Hazel laughed, and beamed with pride at Frank, who had turned rather pink and was shuffling his feet.

‘Wow...thanks, Annabeth.’

She looked around at the cafe, and mused almost to herself.

‘It’s a shame you’re not open for dinner, actually, or I’d stop by the nights that I go into the city.’

Frank and Hazel exchanged a glance, before looking at Annabeth.

It was Hazel who spoke.

‘Actually, we could drop something off from the lunch menu on your doorstep for you those nights. It’s just on the way home for us.’

Frank nodded in agreement.

‘Are you sure? It wouldn’t be too much trouble?’

Hazel and Frank both smiled at her.

‘No, it wouldn’t be.’

 ‘We’d be happy to, as long as you keep coming here, of course! We do have a business to run!’

Hazel poked him in the arm, but her eyes were twinkling.

‘Frank!’

As she walked home, now able to look forward to a good meal after her long commute, Annabeth marvelled at how nice the cafe proprietors were, and how welcoming the people of Olympia were.

She’d made the right choice.

* * *

It was a Sunday, and Annabeth had decided to be uncharacteristically lazy, and was reading a paper on the latest architectural trends in Belgium at Frank and Hazel’s. She was drinking coffee, and had skipped on cake today (because as good as Frank’s baking was, she had to watch out for her health).

She finished a section of her paper, and happened to glance up.

Somewhat startled, she stared at the young man sitting at the table in the corner.

If she was not mistaken (and she was very rarely mistaken), the man who greatly resembled a Latino elf, down to his curls and pointy ears, was Leo Valdez, the billionaire inventor of the Valdezinator, a music-listening device that could assemble a playlist for you based on biological indicators of your mood.

Last she’d heard, he’d disappeared off the face of the Earth about two months ago...or, she thought wryly, he’d disappeared to Olympia.

Returning to her paper (he obviously didn’t want to be stared at if he’d moved here), her brow furrowed as she contemplated the possibilities.

What was he doing here?

* * *

Leo sighed as he took another chug of his coffee. He didn’t even really like the stuff, but here he was, drinking it straight, black and bitter.

At least the atmosphere at Frank and Hazel’s never failed to cheer him up, if only slightly. It was nice to be somewhere friendly and warm, where he could enjoy Hazel’s cooking and Frank’s baking and their friendship.

Hence, he was a regular here, though he tended to prefer coming in at less popular times to prevent being seen.

But today, he’d really been in no mood to sit at home, so here he was.

Unfortunately, Frank and Hazel were too busy to talk to him at the moment, so, like all other times when he had nothing or no-one to occupy his mind, he found himself drifting off into the past.

_‘Go...Don’t push your luck, Leo Valdez. I still hate you.’_

_‘Okay.’_

_‘And you aren’t coming to find me. So don’t give me any empty promises.’_

_‘How about a full promise? Because I’m definitely-‘_

_Soft lips on his own, the smell of cinnamon and woodsmoke, and he swore that his brain was short-circuiting..._

_‘That didn’t happen.’_

_‘Okay.’_

_‘Get out of here.’_

_‘Okay.’_

Why did her stupid parents have to force her back to Greece with them? (Well, because they didn’t approve of some self-made billionaire orphan Latino inventor without any breeding or culture whatsoever.) And why wasn’t he off chasing her? (But he was, he had a small army of PIs looking, and the moment they found anything at all, he’d be there.) But why wasn’t he there himself? (Leo Valdez had had his heart broken one too many times, and he knew Calypso was different from every other girl who’d just flat-out rejected him, knew she was different and special, and it wasn’t so much the straw that broke the camel’s back but the quarter-tonne anvil. He just couldn’t bear to.)

So here he was, sitting in a cafe and moping. Just like the first time...

 _A young woman with cinnamon-coloured hair approached him...and his first thought was_ Calypso _. He blinked it away. Of course it wasn’t Calypso. This woman, despite being almost as beautiful as her, had dark skin where Calypso’s was milky pale, and almost riotous curls somewhat tamed by a scarf._

_‘Excuse me, I know this is a very, very strange question, but did you know a Sammy Valdez?’_

_Vague memories of a very old man with a manic grin just like his (when he used to grin anyway) came floating back._

_He nodded, snapping just a little bit out of the autopilot he’d been operating on since he’d lost her._

_‘Yeah, he was my great-grandfather....I lost contact with him, though, after...after my mother died.’_

_He didn’t know why he was telling this woman (Hazel, he learnt her name was later) that, but she just felt like a good listener, someone he could trust._

_She told him about her friendship with his bisabuelo, how he was almost a grandfather to her._

_He told her about everything, his mother’s death, Calypso, everything._

_They talked for what felt like a very long time (but maybe wasn’t), and he vaguely remembered ordering some food from the teenage waiter, but he didn’t recall much else._

_He stared at Hazel, stared at her with wistful, mooning looks, because if he stared at her just right, he could almost see Calypso, and because she was awesome and cute and he was still young and lonely and heartbroken and human. He enjoyed the feel of her hand resting on his arm, even if he knew it was blatantly platonic, just comfort from one friend to another. It made him feel guilty (he had Calypso, whom he loved more than anything, and she had a wedding band on her left ring finger), and he could tell that she was uncomfortable with it, only putting up with it because, for some reason, she cared and worried for him, already so soon after meeting._

_He snapped out of the moment when a terse male voice interrupted him in the middle of a story his mother had told him about his bisabuelo._

_A plate of baked eggs and toast was practically slammed onto the table in front of him._

_Leo looked up to see a very buff Asian man glaring daggers at him. Hazel’s husband._

_‘Eat up. You look like you could do with some extra protein. Lots of extra protein.’_

_‘Frank!’_

_The couple retreated to the kitchen to argue, but Leo could still hear many of their words._

_‘He’s Sammy’s great-grandson, Frank!’_

_He shovelled eggs into his mouth as fast as he could._

_‘I don’t like the way he looks at you.’_

_‘You don’t need to be jealous.’_

_He seized the toast, wrapped it in a napkin and shoved it in his pocket._

_‘Frank, he’s lost and heartbroken...’_

_He left far too much money on the table and practically ran out of there before he had to hear any more._

_That night, he prayed to gods he didn’t even believe in, hoping that he hadn’t ruined another two lives (just like his mother’s, Calypso’s, his own)._

Leo sighed, and took another sip of his coffee. It’d been another week before he’d dared to come back and even try to patch things up.

_It was very early in the morning, the cafe was only due to open in twenty minutes, but Frank and Hazel were already there, setting up._

_He watched through the window as the couple set up, their backs mostly to him, Hazel laughing at something Frank said, Frank grinning, occasionally covering Hazel’s hand with his own, as sweet and natural as if they were an old married couple._

_He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding._

_So they were okay. They seemed more thank okay. At least he hadn’t screwed up that badly._

_As soon as Hazel hung the open sign up on the door (ten minutes early), he stepped inside._

_The couple shared a glance, and Hazel nodded encouragingly to Frank as if saying ‘go on’._

_Leo sat down in the corner, and Frank walked up seemingly to take his order._

_But he didn’t end up doing that. Instead, the big guy rubbed the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable._

_‘I’m sorry, Leo. For being rude to you, and being...a jealous monster, really.’_

_‘Look, man...I’m sorry I got us into this mess. I totally jacked things up. I don’t like Hazel- not that way. Believe me, I really don’t. I’m not moving in on your wife.’_

_Frank nodded._

_‘I know. Hazel and I talked and she...she told me about Calypso.’_

_Leo looked up and met his eyes. For some reason, there was understanding there, almost as if Frank could now see exactly why Leo stared at his wife with such longing._

_Frank continued._

_‘You know, I was in the Marines, and I used to spend months and months away from Hazel...’_

_And somehow, they ended up talking and sharing experiences, the tension evaporated. Perhaps a couple of hours, or maybe only half of one, Leo wasn’t sure, later, Hazel walked out of the kitchen with two slices of cake and three hot chocolates, and put them down in front of them, a smile on her face._

And Leo, Frank and Hazel had been close friends ever since.

That’s why he spent so much time there.

Leo took another mouthful of coffee.

Somehow, it seemed just a little bit sweeter.

* * *

Annabeth looked disapprovingly at the man who appeared to be about her age with messy dark hair, in a hoodie and boardshorts, asleep in the doorway of Frank and Hazel’s, which hadn’t opened yet, and wouldn’t open for another hour. (She was off to work, and walking to the train station.)

He was drooling ridiculously.

She wondered briefly if he was homeless or, more likely, drunk.

She walked up to him. (She couldn’t just leave him sleeping in Frank and Hazel’s doorway!)

‘You drool in your sleep.’

He startled awake, almost jumping.

‘Wh-what?’

He had really beautiful sea-green eyes.

Annabeth stared at them for a moment, entranced, before snapping out of it and sauntering off.

‘Just thought I should tell you.’

Behind her, he spluttered and stared, completely confused by the beautiful woman with golden princess curls who told him he drooled in his sleep. (Who did that to a random stranger?)

(She couldn’t get those eyes- that man- out of her mind the whole journey to work.)

* * *

It turned out that the man in the doorway wasn’t homeless, and neither was he drunk at that moment in time either. (He didn’t like drinking very much, actually- he’d had an awful alcoholic stepfather when he was a kid.)

His name, it turned out, was Percy Jackson. He was thirty years old, and also a sea-changer. (Just how many were there in Olympia?)

Percy used to be a marine biologist, but then his reputation was completely destroyed by a man named Kronos. Now, he ran a surfing school (hence being up really early and waiting for Frank and Hazel’s to open), and also took tours of the local sea life.

Percy was also loyal, a little ridiculously noble and heroic, with a uniquely snarky sense of humour that Annabeth was secretly fond of (but would never admit to him out loud).

She smiled to herself, a smile that went all the way through to her heart.

Yes, this sea-change was the right decision. Definitely.

* * *

‘Percy! You’re drowning them!’

Percy pouted.

‘Pancakes can’t drown in maple syrup, Wise Girl! It’s the food of the gods!’

‘That doesn’t even make any sense, Seaweed Brain!’

Piper and Jason simply shared a look of immense amusement, Piper laughing, while Leo positively cackled.

Percy and Annabeth made great brunch entertainment. Add in Frank and Hazel’s wonderful food, and brunch at their cafe together was the absolute best.

(They were even nice enough to make blue pancakes for Percy, and since Piper had mentioned to Hazel the day before that they were all coming to brunch, today, miraculously, Frank had baked brownies, Jason’s favourite.)

Speaking of the proprietors, Hazel was currently standing by the table in the corner (where Leo used to go sulk alone all the time, but did far less now), talking to a black-haired young man with almost equally dark eyes, who was painfully thin. It appeared as if she was trying to cheer him up and force him to order an extra-large serve of food, with a large hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and two brownies on the side.

Annabeth’s brow furrowed, curious.

‘Who’s that?’

She indicated towards the man as subtly as she could. Percy craned his neck to look obviously at him, because he was oblivious and kelp-brained like that. She slapped him in the arm.

Piper, Jason, Percy and even Leo shared significant looks with one another.

It was Piper who spoke, her voice low.

‘That’s Nico di Angelo. He’s Hazel’s half-brother...’ Annabeth raised an eyebrow. They looked nothing alike. Piper continued. ‘Their family history is very complicated, and it’s best not to ask about it.’ Piper took a deep breath. ‘He is twenty-seven years old, and moved here about two months after Frank and Hazel, with heavy encouragement from her.’ Piper glanced over at the half-siblings. ‘She hoped that it would help him recover from all the tragedy in his life.’ Her tone made it clear that she didn’t really know many of the details, and Jason and Leo’s faces showed they didn’t either. Percy, however, squirmed ever-so-slightly, and Annabeth was pretty sure he knew a little more. Piper guided the conversation back onto slightly more stable ground. ‘Now he works as the embalmer in the funeral home in town.’

Annabeth, digesting that information, glanced back over at the table in the corner. As she watched, Nico stood, smiled wanly at Hazel, kissed her on the forehead, and walked over to the bathroom.

Jason, who’d been sitting opposite Annabeth, back to Nico and Hazel, put down his fork and mentioned that he needed to go to the bathroom as well.

He walked over, and entered moments after Nico.

* * *

Annabeth rolled her eyes affectionately at Percy, who was eating peanuts by tossing them up and catching them in his mouth.

She glanced around Piper and Jason’s living room. (They had all gathered there for a Christmas party.)

Leo was watching Percy, and after a few moments, decided to join in because, he declared, ‘nobody can beat this super-hot McShizzle in peanut-tossing-and-eating!’ No-one had missed the sadness in his eyes on not being able to spend Christmas with Calypso, and they all hoped that he had a breakthrough in his search for her soon (he was going to go search in person as soon as New Year’s was over), but at least he seemed much happier than before, much less lonely, definitely.

Even Nico seemed happier. They’d all become closer to him since he and Jason had had a conversation (about what, they wouldn’t say) in the bathroom at Frank and Hazel’s, and Annabeth was glad that he seemed more cheerful of late. He was currently talking quietly with his sister and brother-in-law.

Jason (who kept shooting concerned glances at Nico) and Piper were curled up together on the couch, laughing at Percy and Leo, who had just run into each other.

Annabeth shook her head (her boyfriend was _such_ a seaweed brain), and walked over to help him up.

She smiled to herself.

The sea-change had been the perfect thing to do. Really.

It wasn’t just a change of scenery, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it feels really kind of incomplete in the sense that there’s lots and lots that happens ‘off-screen’ that could (and probably should) have been written, but I honestly found this chapter really tricky to write after the whole Leo/Hazel/Frank drama bit. Not sure if I handled Nico’s situation very well, but I also wanted to try and capture Annabeth’s analytical (and fairly oblivious to the whole Nico situation) POV, so the ending is (ever so slightly) sort of bittersweet. I don’t even know, really. 
> 
> I originally was going to make Sammy Leo’s long lost twin brother and Hazel’s former boyfriend/love interest, with the two separated by the foster care system. However, I realized that if Sammy and Leo looked exactly alike, Frank would instantly realize the connection (there is no way that he hadn’t seen photos of Sammy and didn’t know about Sammy and Hazel’s relationship if he and Hazel have been together for about thirteen years), and would probably be a bit more sensitive about it, and possibly (slightly, because it is Frank who is insecure and really, really loves Hazel that we’re talking about) less jealous, because he’d probably realize exactly why she and Leo seem so close. Hence, Sammy is Leo’s great-grandfather with whom Hazel had a grandfather/granddaughter relationship, and Frank’s reaction is nowhere near as severe as in the books (because it is just one meeting between Leo and Hazel, and one incident, and Hazel and Frank are also married and have been together for way longer.)


	15. High School Teachers

Julia sighed as she entered the office of Olympus High School. Halfway through her freshman year, her family had moved, and now she was starting at a new high school in the middle of a year.

Starting high school had been hard enough, but arriving in the middle of the school year?

That was the absolute dumps.

She barely listened as the office lady handed her a timetable and a locker number and mentioned how an older student would show her around.

She only really started paying attention when said older student appeared.

He was a pretty big guy, with large, calloused hands, and a slightly crazy grin.

He held out a hand for her to shake.

‘Hey, I’m Harley, I’m a Junior. Welcome to Olympus High.’

He led her out of the office and started walking around the school, stopping in a quiet area of the courtyard.

‘So who are your teachers?’

She looked at him, confused.

‘What?’

He chuckled.

‘Newbies. Always the same. You’ll learn quickly that the teachers are the best and most interesting thing about the school. Kids at other schools gossip about each other; ones at Olympus High gossip about their teachers.’

Julia was still a little confused (why would they gossip about teachers? How were they possibly interesting?), but she supposed she’d get used to it.

‘Well, I’ve got Coach Zhang for PE...’

Harley smiled.

‘Ah, good old Coach Zhang. Big, buff and scary-looking, but a teddy bear on the inside.’ Julia raised an eyebrow. That was an image that she was struggling to create in her mind. ‘He expects you to participate in class and try, so I guess some people say he’s really tough, but he’s one of, if not the, nicest teachers at the school.’ Harley smirked. ‘Oh, and we’re pretty sure that he’s in love with Miss Levesque, like completely head-over-heels. If you mention it in class, he gets really flustered- it’s hilarious!’

Julia glanced back down at her timetable.

‘I have Miss Levesque for Chemistry, actually. What’s she like?’

‘Well, she also teaches Geology, and she’s the youngest teacher at the school, but she’s really good and very sweet. She’s a great listener. If you’re upset and don’t want to see the counsellor, she’s a good choice to go talk to.’ He smirked again. ‘Oh, and she’s sweet on Coach Zhang. Like, really sweet on him. If you mention it, she gets all embarrassed and starts fanning her face. There was a big shipping war between all the students when she first came about whether she’d be better with Coach Zhang or Mr Valdez, but pretty much everyone’s waiting for her and Coach Zhang to get married now, particularly after Mr Valdez got a girlfriend.’

Julia nodded, somewhat numbly. (Was it even appropriate for students to gossip about their teachers like that?)

Harley continued.

‘Do you do shop?’

Julia nodded.

‘Got Mr Valdez?’

She nodded again.

Harley grinned.

‘Oh, you’re in for a great time! He’s my favourite teacher! He’s hilarious and a little inappropriate, but his classes are always really fun. There’s usually an explosion or two every week.’ Harley smirked again. ‘His girlfriend’s really hot, she’s a model or something, she’s come to school a couple of times because he’s forgotten his lunch or something, and she’s the only one that can fluster Mr Valdez even slightly.’

Julia nodded again. (Yup, the students here definitely stalked their teachers or something. It sounded kind of fun, actually, even if it was inappropriate.)

Harley put his hands in his pockets.

‘And who else you got?’

‘Well, I’ve got Mr Jackson for Biology...’

‘He’s also the Swimming Coach, and he’s really obsessed with sea creatures and with the colour blue. Like really obsessed. He’s a bit of an overgrown child, but he really does care about his students and his subject. His classes never really feel serious though, and he’s really relaxed and all. He and Miss Chase are engaged. They have a really weird way of flirting with one another, with really weird nicknames and everything. My big sister Nyssa said that she once judo-flipped him.’

Julia laughed.

‘Miss Chase is my History teacher, actually.

Harley grinned.

‘Miss Chase is strict, and she expects a lot from her students, but she’s fair and teaches you so that you’re actually capable of meeting those high standards, you just have to work hard. And she really knows her stuff, and she’s very passionate about it. Oh, and her lunchtime and after and before class interactions with Mr Jackson make for amazing entertainment. Since you’ve got both of them, you’ll get double the entertainment!’

Julia smiled. Maybe this new school wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe it would actually be kind of fun.

‘And I have a Mr Grace for Physics.’

Julia’s brow furrowed. Grace. That was a familiar surname...

Harley nodded at her.

‘Yeah, he’s the son of Jupiter Grace of Jupiter Incorporated, but he hates talking about it, so don’t mention it. He seems like a really serious kind of teacher, strict and all, but he’s actually pretty relaxed. Apparently, he wasn’t always that way, Nyssa said that he was really strict when she started here, but he became friends with Mr Jackson and Mr Valdez and more than friends with Miss McLean, and he really loosened up. Something about the environment at this school being chiller than at his old one.’

Julia glanced down at her timetable. Miss McLean was her Psychology teacher, it turned out.

Harley saw where she was looking, glanced at her timetable himself, and smiled.

‘Miss McLean and Mr Grace are going out. They’re both really into each other. Nyssa said that she had a really big crush on him at first, and was kind of obsessed, and he was a complete idiot around her for a while, but their relationship has really matured, apparently. She’s a good teacher, and really, really persuasive.’ Harley pulled a face. ‘She’ll make you _want_ to do your homework. Oh, and her father is Tristan McLean, but don’t mention it, whatever you do.’

Harley glanced at her timetable again.

‘Oh, you’ve got Mr di Angelo for Italian. He’s scary-looking, and he gives off a creepy aura, but he’s really an okay guy.’ Harley looked kind of serious for once. ‘Ignore all the people who say he’s a serial killer. Just don’t forget to hand in your homework or anything, or he’ll give you a death glare.’ He smirked. ‘If you do find yourself in that situation, mention something about Mr Solace and you should be fine.’

Julia raised an eyebrow.

‘Who is this Mr Solace? Is he even scarier or something?’

Harley chortled, and Julia stared at him, miffed.

‘Mr Solace? Scary? No way! He’s stubborn, but not scary at all, except maybe to Mr di Angelo sometimes, and not in the way you’re thinking! He’s another Biology teacher, and he’s, well, cheerful and sunny. He’s also a bit of a health and medicine nut, you can often find him nagging Mr di Angelo to eat lunch or go outside or something.’ Harley grinned. ‘We’re pretty sure they’ve got crushes on each other. Oh, and avoid his whistle if you can. It’s awful. Like really awful.’

Julia nodded, smiling. (Mr di Angelo and Mr Solace seemed like a cute couple.)

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ She turned back to her timetable. ‘And I’ve got Miss Ramirez-Arellano for English.’

Harley nodded.

‘She goes by Miss R. Her full name’s kind of too hard to pronounce for most of us. She’s really, really strict and she has really high standards, but like Miss Chase, she’ll teach you well enough that you can do it if you try hard. She doesn’t give out praise lightly, but it means a lot when she does. She’s also one of the most respected teachers at the school, because she’s always composed, and she’s one of the only single teachers at our school and perfectly okay with it.’

Julia nodded, somewhat impressed already by the description.

Her English teacher seemed like a strong woman.

She looked over at her new school, and a slowly-broadening smile grew on her face.

Maybe this change was for the best anyway.

At least she would get heaps of free entertainment.

Judo-flips, seriously?


	16. Coffee Shop

Will tied his apron behind his back, and got to work.

He was working as a barista at Olympus Coffee pretty much to support himself through his last couple of years of medical school. (His savings, which he’d painstakingly gathered since he was practically still a kid, had finally run out, no matter how well he’d budgeted.)

It wasn’t that bad, really.

Well, it didn’t leave any time for socializing and all that stuff after he got all his studying and placements done, but it paid the bills, and he had to eat, after all.

(He refused to live off ramen. That would be very unhealthy, and he’d be setting a poor example for his future patients. Sure, he liked a soda or fries or pizza as much as the next person, but all in moderation and with a balanced diet!)

Besides, it was pretty good, really. His boss Hestia didn’t mind if he studied during the quiet periods, and he got to do heaps of people-watching, which was always fun.

Boy, did he have heaps of good stories to tell.

* * *

Will smiled as he handed the serious-looking Latina woman her order, a medium hot chocolate in a large cup with a shot of espresso.

Her name was Reyna, and he guessed that she was some sort of businesswoman or lawyer or something like that.

Will had never seen her come in with anyone who looked like a romantic partner, though, he’d seen her come in several times with another woman and a man whose mouth seemed to be stained permanently red. They seemed to be good friends. She seemed a strong, independent person, which was awesome in Will’s book. She’d even threatened to castrate the last guy who hit on her (to be fair, he was leering and trying to look down her shirt). Definitely a happy single lady.

Hence, Will faithfully kept her secret.

You see, Reyna always let everyone assume that the medium hot chocolate she always ordered was for someone else, a colleague or a friend or something like that, and that the espresso was hers. But Will knew the truth.

He’d seen it once when he was late for his shift and running down the street towards the coffee shop. He’d just been about to round the corner when...

He’d witnessed Reyna tipping the espresso shot into the hot chocolate cup, taking a sip and then walking off on her merry way, a small smile on his face.

(He also pretended that he’d never seen the bag of jellybeans she had in her handbag. Barista-client privilege and all.)

* * *

Will glanced over at the couple at the table near the front window.

There was a woman, Piper, with choppy brown braids and an eye colour that Will couldn’t quite label. She was a regular, who came in every single day, and always ordered a latte with a pump of syrup. The choice of syrup varied daily; today, she’d chosen butterscotch.

The other guy was called Jason if he remembered correctly. He was blonde, serious and staid-looking, one of those proper types with a neat haircut and nice, but completely unremarkable, clothing. He had thin, gold-rimmed glasses. He’d ordered a cappuccino, of course.

From their somewhat awkward interactions, but glances at one another, Will gathered it was a first date.

He wondered how in the world that attraction had happened. Piper was a free-spirit who had apparently gotten up to some mischief in the past (according to her best friend, Leo, who was another regular), while Jason seemed like the classic All-American good boy. Will shrugged. Opposites attract, maybe.

Still, he thought as he watched Piper animatedly tell Jason some kind of story, eliciting a grin from him, perhaps there was more to it than met the eye.

* * *

‘You are going to be hyperactive for hours, Seaweed Brain.’

Will grinned as he watched the blonde-haired woman in office attire admonish the more casually-dressed dark-haired man.

Percy and Annabeth were regulars, and they bickered like a rom-com couple. That is to say, constantly, but somehow making it obvious that they were almost sickeningly in love at the same time.

At the moment, Percy was tipping a second packet of sugar into his coffee.

Which was a mocha, with six pumps of chocolate syrup in it already.

(Will swore that guy was an overgrown child.)

Percy pouted (which totally proved Will’s point).

‘But Wise Girl, it tastes so much better with sugar!’

Annabeth rolled her eyes in a way that Will swore was affectionate, taking a long draught of her own coffee. (Macchiato, two espresso shots.)

‘It’s not good for you and it makes you hyper. You’re even more annoying when you’re hyper.’

‘But you love me anyway.’

‘True.’

Somehow, they had ended up with their faces barely two inches away from one another.

Will decided that it was a good time to turn away.

Just because he loved people-watching didn’t mean he loved PDA watching, and he’d learnt that sometimes, Percy and Annabeth could go like it as if they were in their own private bubble or something.

* * *

Will glanced around the coffee shop.

It was about eleven on a Saturday morning, and the shop was full, but he didn’t have many orders on his hands, now that he’d finished Frank’s.

Frank was a big, buff Asian guy who looked scary but really wasn’t, who came in every weekday to buy a soy latte, and on Saturdays to read at the cafe and nurse one.

Will normally didn’t like it when people ordered soy drinks (they were tricky to make and were mostly ordered by rather pretentious hipsters), but he made an exception for Frank. One, the guy was too sweet to hate, and two, he was actually lactose-intolerant.

He watched as Frank approached a young woman with curly brown hair and eyes that seemed almost gold.

‘Excuse me...could I sit here? There aren’t any empty tables...’

His cheeks were a little pink, and he seemed a bit awkward. (Even if there really weren’t any empty tables.)

The woman (her name was Hazel) smiled warmly at him and nodded, her sketchbook open in front of her.

Will smiled. Internally, he squealed.

Hazel was another regular. She came in every weekday as well, and on Saturdays to draw, and she always ordered a mocha. She was probably one of Will’s nicest customers, always very polite and giving him genuine smiles and thanks.

He watched (in the least creepy manner possible) as they sat opposite one another, occasionally stealing glances at the other.

They would make such a cute couple.

* * *

Will picked up the freshly-made espresso, and walked over to the brooding, black-haired young man in the corner. His name was Nico, and he’d come in for the first time (at least during Will’s shift) today.

He placed the coffee on the table.

Nico turned to him. Will noticed he had really dark eyes.

‘I didn’t order that.’

Will nodded.

‘I know. But you can’t sit here for three hours and only order one drink, so...’

Nico glared at him.

‘And why not?’

Will looked right back at him.

‘Because it’s rude! And, you know, we’re trying to run a viable business here!’

Nico muttered something about them practically being thieves that Will chose to ignore.

Will affixed him with a firm stare.

‘You’d better pay for that. Now. And order another one if you’re staying for more than another hour.’

Nico scowled at him, but handed over the money anyway.

‘Hazel didn’t mention an annoying barista when she recommended this cafe.’

Will’s mood instantly changed.

‘You know Hazel?’

Nico shot him another look that said ‘ _and how is this any of your business?’,_ but his tone was almost gentle when he replied, taking a draught of his new espresso.

‘Yeah, she’s my half-sister.’

Will nodded.

‘Yeah, I’ve got a sister, too. Her name’s Kayla.’ He smiled. ‘She’s kind of annoying, but she’s always there for me. Shoulder to cry on and all. Guess that’s what sisters are like.’

Nico nodded slowly, staring off into the distance.

‘Yeah. Something like that.’

The look on his face said he wouldn’t say any more, and so there was the end of Will’s first ever conversation with Nico.

(But he was determined that it wouldn’t be the last. He was intrigued by the other man, to say the least.)

* * *

Will watched the couple at the table in the front window out of the corner of his eye.

Latte, pump of chocolate syrup.

Cappuccino.

Nothing different, seemingly.

Piper had her usual feather in her choppy braids.

Jason wore his usual put-together ensemble.

Will couldn’t put a finger on it, but there was just something different this time about them.

Kind of like puzzle pieces that had been sanded down a little, so that they’d fit nicely together or something.

It was Jason in particular that seemed to have changed a little. Loosened up. Will wasn’t sure whether he’d always been that way, just hidden on the inside, or whether being with Piper (and thus presumably befriending Leo) made that much of a difference.

He shrugged, and just carried over another order of coffee to them when they hit the two hour mark and Jason graciously ordered another round of coffees for the two of them.

Jason was talking about eating staplers or something.

Perhaps Will had seriously misjudged the guy.

Eating staplers, really?

* * *

Will grinned as a familiar Latino elf entered the shop.

Leo Valdez was a mechanic who worked three doors down, and was Piper’s best friend.

He came in most mornings (Leo was kind of unpredictable sometimes) and told Will to surprise him.

Hence, Will somewhat shamelessly used him as a test subject for any and all new creations he came up with.

(Leo didn’t seem to mind at all.)

Today, he was handed a macchiato with caramel syrup, topped with some pumpkin pie crumbs that had been stuck to the bottom of the tray of pumpkin pie that they’d just sold the last slice of.

He gave Will a thumbs up as he took a sip.

Will resisted the urge to do a fist pump.

(He was a professional!)

* * *

Will smiled as he prepared a mocha and a soy latte.

He glanced over at the table where the two recipients of the drinks were seated. A few minutes ago, Frank had ordered and paid for another drink for both himself and Hazel. The couple (well, sort-of couple or couple-to-be or whatever they were- Will wasn’t quite sure) were currently sitting on not-quite-opposite sides of the table, chatting and sharing shy smiles every now and then.

He picked up the finished coffees and carried them over.

His smile broadened when he saw what (or rather who) Hazel was drawing.

The girl definitely had an eye for art.

She’d perfectly captured Frank in pencil and paper, for sure.

* * *

Will hummed to himself as he picked up the chicken sandwich and espresso and carried them over to a now-familiar dark-haired young man.

He placed them down on the table in front of Nico, who looked at Will with an expression the blonde couldn’t quite read. (There was a bit of his usual scowl and glare mixed in with something else...)

‘Really, Solace?’

He seemed more infuriated than anything.

Will grinned.

‘Yup. Eat up, di Angelo. You’re looking far too thin.’

Nico rolled his eyes.

‘What are you, my mother?’

‘Nope, just you’re friendly neighbourhood barista-friend.’

‘That’s just stupid-sounding, Solace.’

Will shrugged.

‘I never was as good a poet as my dad. Ah well, at least I have the good looks and coffee-making skills to make up for it!’

Nico looked him up and down (and Will might have imagined it, but he was blushing a little bit, and didn’t that make butterflies start dancing in his stomach...) and snorted.

‘Keep dreaming, Solace.’

(He finished the sandwich anyway.)

* * *

‘Hey, it’s going to be okay, Wise Girl.’

Will didn’t mean to eavesdrop on Percy and Annabeth’s conversation, but he kind of couldn’t resist. (Okay, so he liked eavesdropping. Sue him.)

Annabeth, normally far more composed and serious, looked on the verge of tears. Percy seemed emotionally sensitive for once, and Will was curious as to how this all happened.

‘Percy-‘

The aforementioned man grinned at her, rubbing her back gently.

‘It will all be fine, because I love you, Wise Girl.’

Annabeth almost rolled her eyes. A very small smile appeared on her face.

‘You’re stupidly cheesy and sappy, Seaweed Brain.’

Percy almost smirked.

‘Well, it worked, right?’

* * *

Will glanced over at the couple laughing in the corner, hands entwined, taking turns to drink each other’s coffees.

Piper had shoved a feather in Jason’s hair. He didn’t seem to care at all.

He was pretty sure the shirt Piper was wearing was one of Jason’s. It was getting rather rumpled, but neither seemed to care.

Will picked up the plate containing the slice of cake, ordered by Piper, and carried it over to them.

He smiled as he saw the surprise, shock and then the first stirrings of joy and gratefulness on Jason’s face as he looked upon the cake.

The barista hoped that Jason had a good birthday.

Apparently, according to Piper, who had called earlier to arrange the cake, he tended to forget about it.

(How could anyone forget about their birthday?)

* * *

Will smiled to himself (and cooed internally, but he wasn’t going to admit that) as he watched Frank and Hazel one Saturday morning.

The now-definitely-a-couple sat next to one another, reading a book together, his hand occasionally covering hers, as sweet and natural as an old married couple.

It was _so_ sweet.

(He ignored the mental image he had of himself and a certain someone in the same position.)

* * *

Leo sauntered in as usual, and Will smiled at him in greeting.

‘The usual?’

The other man nodded, before speaking.

‘Yeah, and can I get a medium hot chocolate as well?’

Will raised an eyebrow.

Leo continued.

‘It’s for a friend.’

Will might have imagined it, but he thought Leo might just be blushing a little bit.

But he didn’t say anything as he handed the man the matcha powder-topped macchiato and the hot chocolate.

Leo took a sip, raised an eyebrow, and departed, without giving Will his usual thumbs up or thumbs down, muttering about how Sunshine might just enjoy it.

Will took that as a sign of approval.

He spent the rest of his shift wondering who this mysterious Sunshine was.

(He found out two weeks later.)

(Calypso was a really odd name, but he couldn’t judge when his father’s name was Apollo.)

* * *

‘Morning, Death Boy.’

Nico glared at him. Will ignored it.

‘Don’t call me that.’

Will simply handed him his espresso. Nico raised an eyebrow.

‘I haven’t been here an hour yet.’

Will grinned at him.

‘I’m on a break now, and I wanted to share a coffee with a friendly face who is an excellent conversationalist.’

Nico laughed drily, before turning more serious. (Like anyone could possibly think Nico was a good conversationalist.)

‘If this is your way of making me pay for more coffee, you’re dead, Solace.’

Will took a sip of his own drink.

‘Nah, it’s on me.’

Nico smiled at him.

Will positively beamed.

(Years later, he would insist that that coffee break was their first date.)


	17. Meeting at a Wedding

Piper smiled at the handsome blonde young man who had just sat down beside her. Tonight was Silena and Beckendorf’s rehearsal dinner, and as Silena’s sister and bridesmaid, she obviously had to attend. (Well, and she wanted to be there, of course.)

He seemed familiar, actually. She’d probably met him at some gathering or the other; she knew almost everyone in the wedding party fairly well. There was Clarisse, Silena’s best friend and Maid of Honour, Jake Mason, Best Man…

She remembered who the guy beside her was.

She turned and held out a hand for him to shake.

‘Hi, Jason, right?’

He smiled back at her. (Gods, he was even better-looking when he smiled.)

‘Yes, and you’re Piper, if I remember correctly.’

She nodded, smile broadening.

‘How do you know Silena and Charlie again? I’m sorry, I’m sure someone told me last time we were introduced, but…’

He laughed.

‘Don’t worry about it, I’m not so flash on the details myself. I played football with Beckendorf at college, and we’ve been friends ever since. We both work for Jupiter Incorporated, actually, though he’s in R and D and I’m more on the business side.’ Jason pursed his lips for a moment. ‘And if I remember correctly, you’re Silena’s sister, right?’

She raised an eyebrow.

‘Not so flash on the details, really? Yeah, I am. Well, half-sister, but we don’t really think about the half.’ A thought hit her. ‘Wait a moment, your surname is Grace, right? That means you’re…’

She trailed off.

He looked a little uncomfortable.

‘Could we not talk about it?’

She nodded in understanding.

‘Fine with me, as long as we don’t talk about mine.’ When he looked confused, she continued. ‘My surname’s McLean.’

‘Ah, right.’

They talked for the rest of the evening, without a mention of their fathers.

At the end of the dinner, Jason offered her his arm like an old-fashioned gentleman and escorted her outside. (Piper, much to her chagrin, because she hated stupid romance movie clichés, even if they were her secret, guilty indulgence, really liked that.)

‘So, I’ll be seeing you at the altar tomorrow?’

They both blushed a little (him far more than her), glanced at one another, and laughed. (The perils of meeting while members of a wedding party…)

Piper smiled at him, and on impulse, kissed him on the cheek.

‘Yeah, you will.’

(And maybe it was far too early to tell, but perhaps they’d be seeing each other at the altar again one day.)

* * *

Frank glanced over at the beautiful young violinist playing in the corner of the reception hall, tuning out the conversation that the others on his table (all old college friends and football teammates of the groom, like him) were having.

Not only was she beautiful, with her dark skin, warm like cocoa, and cinnamon-toast hair, and eyes that he swore were gold, and an excellent violinist, but he also, somehow, knew that she was kind and caring.

Maybe it was the way she played, or the way that she’d smiled fondly as Silena walked up the aisle, or the way that she’d treated Julia, the little flower girl who’d gone up and requested some song from a children’s TV show called _Phineas and Ferb_ that he may or may not have watched once or twice. (She’d smiled at the girl, ruffled her hair affectionately, and played a reasonable facsimile of the song.)

Glancing back at his former teammates (and knowing he was _so_ going to get it for this later, but not really caring), he took a deep breath, wiped his slightly sweaty palms on his napkin, walked over to the buffet, gathered a plate of food and a glass of orange juice, and walked over to the violinist, who had just put down her instrument for a break.

She smiled at him, and he stood there and stared for a moment. He scolded himself immediately.

‘Umm…hi. I just wanted to say, I think you’re great. At playing the violin. Well, not that I don’t think you must be a great person and all, but…’ At that moment, he kind of wanted the earth to swallow him whole. He held out the plate and glass to her. ‘Would you like some food and drink?’

Her smile broadened, eyes twinkling.

‘Oh, thank you so much!’ She took the plate and orange juice from him. ‘It’s very sweet of you to come up and compliment me and bring me food; most of the time, people just sort of ignore me unless they have requests.’

He scowled.

‘That’s not very nice!’

She simply shrugged, but her smile broadened even further and his heart did a funny little skip.

‘It’s my job to be unobtrusive and provide background music. I’m Hazel, by the way.’

‘Frank.’

She sat down on the edge of the stage, and started eating the food.

‘You’re a friend of the groom, right?’

He nodded.

‘Yeah, how’d you know?’

She laughed.

‘It’s kind of hard to miss the table full of guys who look like footballers, just like Beckendorf.’

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Well, that was pretty stupid of him.

Somehow, Frank found himself talking to the violinist for the entire duration of her break, and he didn’t seem to scare her off or repulse her with his immense awkwardness the entire time.

‘…Wow, Bridge Over Troubled Water was one of my mother’s favourite songs too, actually.’

Hazel smiled at him.

‘It’s a beautiful song.’

Frank nodded, staring off into the distance.

‘Yeah, it really reminds me of her.’

About ten minutes later, sitting back in his seat at the table, he heard the opening strains of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

He immediately glanced over and made eye contact with Hazel. The violinist simply smiled at him.

At the end of the evening, Frank approached her once again as Hazel was packing up.

‘Thanks for playing Bridge Over Troubled Water earlier. It brought back some good memories.’

‘It was no trouble, really. I adore that song.’

‘Are you sure you won’t get into trouble for it? You can tell Silena it was my fault if you do…’

 ‘I definitely won’t get into trouble for it, it fitted the mood and Silena’s no bridezilla, even if she seemed like it sometimes. And it was my decision to play it, anyway.’ She finished packing up her violin, and smiled up at him. ‘But it’s very kind of you to offer. You’re a great guy, Frank.’

He blushed.

 She shouldered her violin case.

Frank took a deep breath. Then another. This was his last chance.

‘Hazel, would you like to go out for hot chocolate sometime? Well, it could be coffee, but I don’t drink coffee…I mean, if you do, that’s cool, but…’

She beamed up at him, red dusting her cheeks.

‘I’d love to, Frank.’

* * *

‘I can’t believe Silena and Beckendorf are getting married! I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that we were all in high school…Gods, I feel old!’ He looked rather panicked. ‘Wise Girl, I’m not starting to get grey hairs, am I?’

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

‘No, Seaweed Brain, not yet. You’re twenty-five. You aren’t that old. You’re about a third through your lifespan.’

He looked aghast.

‘That’s a big portion! I’m getting old! This is a disaster!’

Annabeth slapped him on the back of the head.

‘Seaweed Brain! People are staring!’

He glanced around. People were indeed staring.

‘It’s just like the time Clarisse threw us into the pool.’

Annabeth’s eyes widened, as did Percy’s a fraction later.

They’d never really discussed what happened the time Clarisse threw them into the pool at the end of their senior year. They’d sort of buried the best underwater kiss of all time and kind of pretended it didn’t happen. (For seven years. They’d been practically best friends since they were twelve, though, so it hadn’t been that hard. Well, apart from Rachel, and the time Percy went on a date with one of Silena’s cousins, Calypso, and that guy called Luke on Beckendorf’s football team that Percy didn’t like…)

Percy broke the silence.

‘Actually, not quite like that time.’

He leaned over and kissed her.

When they broke apart a good while later, he smirked at her.

‘Now it’s just like that time.’ The smirk fell away. ‘I love you, Wise Girl.’

And even if she’d never been on one date with Percy Jackson, even if he had kelp for brains, and even if they were at someone else’s wedding….

‘I love you too, Seaweed Brain.’

* * *

‘Who invites the tech guy to their wedding?’

The incredibly hot young woman with almond eyes sitting next to him wrinkled her nose at Leo, looking disapprovingly at his slightly-too-large suit, flame tie and suspenders.

He, in turn, glared at her. She had a haughty, better-than-you manner that he simply despised.

What in the hell had Silena been thinking when she’d sat them next to one another?

‘Who invites the florist to their wedding?’

‘When the florist is their cousin!’

‘Well, lady, I’m Beckendorf’s cousin as well as the tech guy!’

She crossed her arms.

‘Well, just leave me alone. Please.’

He raised an eyebrow.

‘Wow, _please_. You’re really warming up to me. And that’s totally fine with me. I don’t want to talk to you either.’

(But they kind of did end up talking. Calypso got bored and started weaving something out of napkins and frayed threads from the tablecloth. Leo’s ADHD played up and he pulled bits of metal out of nowhere and made a wind-up toy. Both noticed what the other was doing. And alcohol had a way of loosening tongues- and starting rants about horrible exes and former crushes and all-round heartbreak.)

(Silena was an expert matchmaker.)

(She held his hand during the fireworks, and insisted afterwards that it was because he was an idiot and made them far too shocking and hence frightening.)

(But both of them knew better.)

* * *

‘I hate weddings.’

The woman with dark, short hair sitting next to Nico took a long draught of her beer.

Nico nodded, taking a mouthful of his own drink.

‘So many ridiculous sappy displays of love. It makes me sick.’

(It made him rather more than sick, but he tried not to think about that.)

The woman who’d spoken scowled at her dress.

‘And I have to wear a dress. Ugh. A dress. At least you get to wear pants!’

The Latina woman sitting on Nico’s other side nodded, and drained her glass of wine.

‘And all those people nagging you about bringing a date? Don’t they understand that one can be totally happy single?’

The first woman nodded in agreement, and they high-fived.

Nico tried to manage a weak smile. (Okay, maybe he wasn’t _happily_ single, but these two definitely seemed to be.)

The Latina woman held out a hand for him to shake.

‘I’m Reyna.’

‘Nico.’

‘Thalia.’

Thalia finished her beer, and stood, perfectly steady.

‘Can I get you guys something else to drink? Since we’re here, we might as well take advantage of the open bar.’

Reyna raised her empty glass, while Nico drained his.

‘I’ll drink to that.’

‘Amen.’

(With two friends, the next wedding was far more tolerable.)

(Though, Nico did not appreciate Reyna and Thalia’s attempts to set him up with that really cute yet incredibly infuriating doctor.)

(Even if they were totally successful.)


	18. Military Spouses

Hazel sighed and glanced around the private room of the restaurant, playing with the dog tags she wore around her neck.

She turned to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man lounging in a chair beside her.

‘They will be here, won’t they, Will? I mean, if they don’t-‘

He reached out and patted her arm gently.

‘They’ll be here, Hazel. Calm down, doctor’s orders!’

She shook her head affectionately.

‘You know that only works on my brother, Will.’

There was a moment of not-uncomfortable silence as both of them reflected on why they were here in the first place. Will fiddled with the skull necklace around his neck, while Hazel rested a hand on the dog tags around hers.

Hazel’s boyfriend Frank was a Marine, currently deployed. The dog tags were his mother’s, and Frank wore them constantly unless he was deployed. When he was deployed, he left them with Hazel for safekeeping, almost like a promise that he’d be back for them, and back for her.

Hazel’s brother, Nico (well, half-brother, but they considered the half irrelevant), was in the Army, and with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, was openly in a relationship with Will Solace, MD. Nico, too, was also currently deployed.

The two of them had organized a support group for spouses/relatives/friends of currently-deployed members of the armed forces, and they were currently waiting for the others to arrive.

It had started very small, actually, with Nico mentioning that another soldier in his unit, Reyna, had a very dear friend, Jason, who was in the Air Force and newly engaged to a woman named Piper who lived near Hazel and Will. Reyna had thought that from Nico’s descriptions of Hazel, she and Piper might get along well, so perhaps they should meet up.

It had kind of snowballed from there. (It had been agreed that a support group would be excellent; after all, the stress of having a loved one possibly in mortal danger while serving their country was very high.)

It turned out that Jason’s best friend, Leo, who was also in the Air Force, had a girlfriend, Calypso, who lived in the same city. He also had a sister, Thalia, who was in the Army, who had a boyfriend, Luke, and a best friend, Annabeth, who also lived there. Annabeth’s husband, Percy, was in the Navy.

And so, Hazel and Will were sitting in a restaurant waiting for Piper, Calypso, Luke and Annabeth to arrive.

Hazel had once read something about being able to connect any two people around the world with only six connections.

This felt like something along that vein.

Frank would laugh so much about this when he received the news she’d sent of this event. (Even Nico might crack a smile.)

She smiled softly at the thought, and touched Emily Zhang’s dog tags again.

He’d be back. Her brother would be back.

They would.

* * *

Hazel smiled as she shook hands with and greeted Piper. The Native American woman was clearly fierce and bold and very much her own person, with a feather in her hair, choppy braids and casual clothing, as if she deliberately dressed to be different and to tone down her natural beauty. (Though, Hazel thought, she had kind of failed to do that.) She was obviously also worried about Jason; she kept twisting her engagement ring, much like Will played with his skull necklace or Hazel with Emily’s dog tags.

They talked for a while, Hazel and Piper and Will, making small talk, before Annabeth Chase-Jackson and Luke Castellan arrived. Perhaps the first impression that was made was that Annabeth was six months pregnant, and the second that she was very composed and serious. Hazel also thought that she probably had an immense talent for concentrating and a task mind. Hazel prided herself on her ability to read people, and she could see that Annabeth, while she seemed to be trying not to show it, was evidently concerned about her husband and her best friend. (Over the course of lunch, she told many embarrassing stories about her husband, who apparently was a Seaweed Brain, and about Thalia, whom Percy apparently called Pinecone Face, and threatened, several times, to kill him if he didn’t come home to meet his daughter.) 

Luke was a lot harder to get a read on. He didn’t seem very open, but, Hazel thought, that was perhaps kind of expected. He had a long scar on his face, from the bottom of his eye to his chin. He used to be a soldier, before something had happened and he’d been badly wounded and discharged for medical reasons. Annabeth had quietly mentioned to the others that he had PTSD. He seemed rather bitter, and Hazel feared what would happen to him if the worst were to happen to Thalia.

As that thought occurred to her, she closed her eyes for a moment, hand resting on the dog tags. _Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts._ Both Will and Piper glanced at her with concern, but she shook her head. _I’m okay._

Calypso had been the last to arrive. She was a stunningly beautiful young woman, but she seemed sad and very, very lonely, almost as if she’d been trapped on an isolated island or something. She was clearly consumed with worry for Leo, and seemed to be wondering whether he would even come back to her. (Apparently, their relationship was rather new.) Hazel wanted to reassure her, but she’d never even met Leo, and didn’t know the first thing about their relationship, so what could she do?

As they left the restaurant after lunch, Hazel and Will shared a smile and a glance.

It was nice to be among people who genuinely understood what they were going through, and on top of that, they all seemed like good people, even Luke.

They were looking forward to next Saturday’s lunch.

(One week closer to the end of deployment.)

(One week closer to coming home.)

* * *

Annabeth had reached seven months now, and they were all an awful lot closer, sharing stories and thoughts and feelings and worries.

‘…Jason tried to eat a stapler as a kid. He has a scar on the corner of his lip to prove it.’

‘Percy has seen Finding Nemo six hundred and thirty-two times.’

‘You counted?’

Will sounded surprised, which he probably shouldn’t, because this was Annabeth they were talking about, but it was a pretty big number.

‘Yes.’ Annabeth rested a hand on her stomach. ‘Gods, he’s like a child.’

Calypso rolled her eyes.

‘So is Leo. If I have to hear about the really cool stuff that Mr Hot Stuff did one more time…’ Her expression softened. ‘Though, fixing up that fountain at my shop was pretty nice of him. At least until he crashed that mechanical dragon of his into it.’

Everyone stared at her, and with a slight downturn of her mouth that suggested she thought her boyfriend was a full-of-it idiot, but a light in her eyes that suggested it was in the best way possible, Calypso launched into a story about Leo’s mechanical dragon that he was building (called Festus apparently) and how they’d met when he’d destroyed half of her florist’s shop.

Annabeth shook her head, almost in exasperation, while Piper, shoulders shaking, interrupted everyone’s laughter. (Even Luke was laughing, if only a little bit.)

‘Men.’

Will looked affronted. Even Luke seemed a little offended.

Hazel patted her brother’s boyfriend comfortingly on the shoulder.

‘She doesn’t mean it that way.’

Will turned and pouted at her.

‘I know, but then you have to share an embarrassing story about Frank, too! It’s only fair, practically-sister-in-law!’

Hazel blushed, and started fanning her face.

A moment later, Will realized exactly what he’d just said, and pink began to appear on his cheeks.

Piper, Annabeth and Calypso turned to the three of them, smirks and grins on their faces.

_Uh oh._

* * *

Calypso sighed as she sat down at her seat at their usual table.

Will had a shift at the hospital and Luke didn’t feel like coming (that happened sometimes, and none of them pushed, except maybe Annabeth), so it was just the ladies this time.

That wasn’t a problem for her at all (she liked Piper and Hazel and Annabeth and considered them her friends). In fact, Calypso’s problem didn’t have very much to do with them at all. (Not really.)

But problems had to be faced. Ghosts had to be banished. She couldn’t just sit there and let it fester.

She had to face it head on.

And today was the perfect day to do it. (As much as she liked Will, and as okay a guy Luke was once you got through his shell, she just felt more comfortable when it was just the other women.)

‘How do you do it?’

The other three turned to her, and Calypso pushed on.

‘I mean, I just feel like I’m not coping, with Leo deployed, and yet, you all are.’ She glanced at Piper. ‘You’re strong and put together.’ She made eye contact with Annabeth, looking into her grey eyes. ‘And you’re composed and tough.’ She turned to Hazel. ‘And you’re strong-willed and optimistic.’ Calypso took a deep breath. ‘You’re all living your lives, actually living them, and I’m just running on autopilot, going to work, tending my garden, just sitting here worrying and fretting and waiting for Leo to return!’ Calypso looked at them, almost imploringly. ‘I’m sick of feeling this way! Just how do you do it?’

There was silence for a moment.

Hazel rested her hand on her dog tags.

Piper twisted her engagement ring.

Annabeth rubbed her wedding ring.

Calypso played with the gears on the necklace Leo had given her just before he’d gone.

Hazel reached out a hand and took Calypso’s. Piper broke the silence.

‘You know, I miss Jason so damn much that sometimes I wish that he wasn’t in the military, that he’d just stay home with me, no matter how selfish it is.’ Piper looked down for a moment. ‘But I also know that duty is really important to him, but that also means that every time I see him off, I worry that I’m losing him to the military life. I’m scared that he’s going to grow distant from me…’ She took a deep breath, and for a moment, she didn’t look fierce at all to Calypso. She looked like what Calypso saw in the mirror. ‘But most of all, I’m scared that he isn’t going to come home.’

Hazel spoke next, her voice soft and emotional.

‘I’m terrified that Frank or Nico won’t come home and I’ll be all alone and without any family again.’ She looked down, and then up again, and they could all see the tears glimmering in her eyes. Calypso was suddenly struck with the notion that perhaps Hazel’s brave optimism wasn’t always with her. ‘I wish so much that I could protect them from danger…but I can’t.’

Annabeth rubbed her belly in slow circles, and spoke almost equally slowly.

‘I can’t raise our daughter without Percy, I really can’t.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I don’t even think I could go on without Percy, because he’s almost a part of me. And I lose sleep over Luke and Thalia, because they’re my family, and if Thalia doesn’t come home…it’ll destroy Luke.’ Annabeth sighed. ‘If he isn’t destroyed already.’ She looked up and made eye contact with Calypso, and for once, she saw Annabeth, tough-as-nails Annabeth, as vulnerable.

They all glanced at one another, sharing a look of understanding, and somehow, they all knew that they were just that little bit closer than before.

Calypso squeezed Hazel’s hand gently, and nodded her thanks to Piper and Annabeth.

‘Leo and I were only together for a couple of months before he was deployed, you know.’ She looked down. ‘He…he swore he would come back to me…’ She wiped the tears from her eyes, frustrated by her weakness. ‘But even then it felt like an empty promise…he just…he just can’t promise that!’

Hazel squeezed her hand, and Piper reached over and took her other one. Annabeth passed her a napkin to wipe her eyes with.

It was Piper who spoke.

‘No, he can’t promise that he will come back to you. But he swore that he would do everything he could to, Calypso. He’ll fight to get back to you. He will.’

‘It…it gets better, it really does.’ Hazel looked earnestly at her. ‘It doesn’t get easier…but you get used to it, and you get better with coping.’

Calypso nodded.

‘I…I just never really expected to be in this position…’

Annabeth smiled wryly.

‘I don’t think anyone ever expects to be.’

Piper shot Hazel a meaningful look.

‘Well, except Hazel! You surely must have known since you were thirteen that this is where you’d be in ten years!’

The young woman blushed, and at Annabeth’s curious look and Calypso’s confused one, explained the story of how she and Frank met and got together. (Apparently, it’d been pretty obvious that he’d join the military even when he was sixteen.)

That night, lying in bed, Calypso fiddled with her necklace.

It would get better.

It would.

(But the best thing would be for Leo to come back safely.)

* * *

They’d all gathered in Annabeth’s hospital room, much to the displeasure of the nurses, bearing gifts to welcome her and Percy’s baby girl into the world.

Resting on the table beside the new mother, who was holding her daughter, were an assortment of flowers, a couple of gift cards for baby/maternity stores, and a stuffed panda bear.

They were all cooing over the beautiful little girl (who had sea-green eyes and light brown hair that looked like it might just turn curly), when suddenly, Annabeth and Luke both froze, staring at the door in shock.

Standing there was a black-haired man with startling sea-green eyes, a broad grin across his face.

(Annabeth yelled at him for not notifying her that he was coming back on leave for a couple of weeks to meet their daughter, but everyone could tell that she was just happy he was home and safe and meeting their daughter.)

(And they were happy about that too.)


	19. Cliche Hollywood Drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language warning on this chapter.

‘Jason, you’re out of touch.’

His manager, and dear friend, Reyna crossed her arms and sat down opposite him.

Jason looked up from the playbook he was going over (he was the Olympians’ star quarterback, he had to know the plays inside out).

‘What?’

She rolled her eyes at him.

‘You’ve become a machine. All you think about is football. All you are is a sportsman. In some ways, that is admirable, but you’ve completely forgotten that you’re a human being.’ She pulled his playbook out of his hands. ‘And that’s why I’ve signed you up to do community service at Delphi Hospital. You start tomorrow.’

Her expression and voice softened.

‘You’ve still got your good heart, Jason. You haven’t become arrogant or stuck-up. My best friend is still in there somewhere, I know that, but he’s been buried under the perfect quarterback. I’m determined to get him back.’

And she walked out, already taking another call on her earpiece.

Jason was left rather stunned.

Had he really changed that much?

And so much that even consummate professional Reyna thought it was unacceptable?

* * *

Jason wandered into the office he’d been instructed to go to, openly looking around, lost and out of his element.

Seated at a desk in the very, very tiny office was a beautiful young woman with choppy brown hair and eyes that seemed to be changing colour.

She stood and shook his hand.

‘I’m Piper, hospital counsellor.’

Greeting people, he could definitely do. Making a good impression, check. He was back in his element.

He smiled his charming smile.

‘Jason Grace. It’s lovely to meet you, Piper.’

She smiled back at him.

‘You’ll be helping me out on my rounds, visiting patients, especially the kids, and things like that…’

* * *

Piper smiled to herself as she watched Jason Grace interact with Julia and Harley, two of her favourite patients (okay, she wasn’t supposed to play favourites, but they were _adorable_ ) in the children’s ward.

He seemed awkward and out of place, as if he didn’t know what to do, because it wasn’t in his playbook or something.

Jason was certainly a very, very good-looking young man. Most people would probably say that he was far too perfect, far too straight-laced, but Piper was pretty sure there was a lot more to Jason than that. The perfect sportsman was part of his personality, for sure, but there was far more to him than that.

She could see it (it was kind of her job to see these things), in the way that he was so hesitant and like a fish out of water, and she had an inkling that she’d see a lot more of it while he was doing community service at Delphi.

She didn’t mind having him tag along in the slightest.

In fact, she was looking forward to it.

* * *

‘Sorry I’m late, Sunshine, traffic was murder!’

‘Like I wanted to see you and your grease-stained clothes anyway, Leo Valdez.’

Piper stopped outside the room where the voices were coming from. The door was open, and she gestured to Jason to glance in.

Inside, there was a very beautiful young woman with cinnamon-coloured hair and almond eyes, with both of her legs elevated and in casts, and a young man wearing (somewhat) greasy clothes and a manic grin, who greatly resembled a Latino elf, who was presumably Leo.

They watched as Leo pulled a metal flower out of the tool belt he had around his waist, and handed it to her.

‘I got you something, Sunshine.’

She examined it, seemingly genuinely interested, though her expression remained neutral. She found a little catch somewhere in it (as if she’d had a lot of practice), and the flower started playing a very simple, yet wistful, melody.

She quirked an eyebrow at Leo, whom Jason presumed was a mechanic from his clothing.

‘Not bad, Leo. Thank you.’

He smirked at her.

‘You’re really warming up to me.’

She placed the flower in the vase by her bedside along with several other metal flowers.

‘Don’t push your luck, Valdez. I still hate you.’

Piper pulled Jason away from the door.

‘We should give them some privacy.’ At his confused expression, she continued. ‘That’s usually the cue for them to start kissing. Don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to watch that.’

Jason flushed.

‘What?’

Piper regarded him for a moment.

‘Yeah, meeting Leo and Calypso for the first time is kind of like that.’

As they made their way through the hospital, Piper explained.

Apparently, Leo had hit Calypso with his car (which was called Festus, apparently Leo continually emphasised that point as being very important, while Calypso rolled her eyes in the background- Jason thought that was really, really weird, but whatever floats his boat?), and broke both her legs, trapping her in the hospital. Then, he’d started visiting her at the hospital every day, and the rest, apparently, was history.

‘They hated each other at first. Really, really hated each other. In fact, he only visited the _stupidly haughty girl_ because of guilt and his mother and doing her memory proud.’ Piper grinned. ‘But, as you can see, they’ve warmed up to each other.’

After that, Jason was pretty sure that Piper was definitely a closet romantic.

(Or a not-so-closet romantic.)

* * *

‘Fuck off, Solace.’

‘Not until you finish your lunch, di Angelo.’

Piper sighed sadly and motioned for Jason to be still and silent. He obeyed.

From where they were standing, they could just see inside the room, where a young man in his early twenties, extremely pale and thin, who looked like he could just about fade into the shadows at any moment, was lying in bed, with a tray of food before him. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man in a doctor’s coat with crossed arms was looking firmly at him.

‘If I eat it, will you go away?’

‘If you promise not to throw it up, then I’ll leave you alone until dinner.’

Di Angelo scowled.

‘That’s after your shift ends.’

‘And you should know by now that I’ll stay late to make sure you finish your dinner.’

Di Angelo glared at him.

‘And why do you care? I’m just a broken, messed up boy obsessed with death. People don’t want to be around me!’

Dr Solace looked down at his patient, and Jason couldn’t place the maelstrom of emotions in his eyes. He spoke softly, gently.

‘You’re my favourite patient, di Angelo.’ He smirked and spoke in a lighter, more teasing tone. ‘Besides, if you die of malnutrition under my watch, Death Boy, my career will be over before it even started.’

Di Angelo glared at him again, but the glare seemed softer, more teasing than before.

‘You’re full of it, Solace. And you’re an idiot.’

‘You haven’t met my father.’

Di Angelo gave a very, very small smile, and started eating his lunch.

Dr Solace positively beamed.

As Piper led him along the hospital corridors, she explained, her eyes sad.

‘That was Nico di Angelo. He’s been hospitalized for a suicide attempt and malnutrition.’ She sighed. ‘He’s supposed to be one of my patients, but I struggle to get through to him. He won’t let me in.’ She brightened somewhat, a twinkle in her eye that Jason didn’t understand. ‘Dr Solace is the only one who can get through to him, so I leave most of his care to him.’

Jason briefly wondered if that was very much irresponsible (it sounded like it’d be against all sorts of rules), but recalling Nico’s interactions with Dr Solace, decided that it was probably the best course of action.

But he couldn’t get Nico di Angelo out of his head for some reason. His story, what happened to him, how pale and ghostly he’d looked…he just couldn’t forget it.

It was a strange sensation, one he couldn’t remember feeling for a very long time.

This sense of being haunted by someone else’s story, someone else’s life.

* * *

‘STOLL!’

Jason stared confused, while Piper practically became hysterical with laughter as a tall, brown-haired man wearing the uniform of Hermes Couriers ran down the corridor, chased by a brown-haired young woman that Jason recognizes as the receptionist who greeted him (her name was Katie, he’s pretty sure).

In between chortles, Piper explained to him that the delivery guy, Travis Stoll, took all the deliveries that came to Delphi Hospital just to prank/annoy/flirt with Katie.

Apparently, the hospital staff had a betting pool going.

* * *

Piper looked downcast as she and Jason approached one of the hospital’s private rooms.

She sighed and pushed open the door, which was left slightly ajar.

The dark-skinned young woman with curly hair and gold-looking eyes lying in the bed inside smiled at them and spoke softly.

‘Hi, Piper.’

She noticed Jason.

‘Oh, and hello…’

‘This is Jason, Hazel.’

It was then that Jason noticed the Asian man, built like a Marine, curled up asleep in a chair (it looked supremely uncomfortable) next to the bed, a laptop on his lap and various newspaper classified sections lying around him.

Piper looked inquiringly at Hazel.

‘Do you want me to wake him up, or...?’

Hazel shook her head.

‘Try not to disturb him, please. He hasn’t been sleeping much.’

She looked very worried.

Jason and Piper stayed and chatted to Hazel for a little while, not about her illness or anything serious, just light things like movies and Katie chasing Travis and the like.

When they left the room, Piper sighed again, and started explaining.

Hazel was chronically ill, with a disease that’s name was so complicated Jason could barely remember it. As such, she was hospitalized for several days every month and incapable of working the rest of it.

The worst part was that her disease was treatable. Her symptoms could be controlled, and she could lead a fairly normal, fairly healthy life, if she and her fiancé, the man who’d been asleep in her room, Frank, could afford it.

But they couldn’t, because Frank was currently unemployed, and had been since he’d been honourably discharged from the Army (he’d applied because Hazel had been diagnosed) about six months ago. He had never been to college, and had no work experience to speak of outside the military, so even though he’d been an officer and a decorated soldier, just couldn’t find work.

He was desperate, and according to Piper, would try anything legal to make enough money to pay for Hazel’s treatment. (He’d even confided in her that he was considering illegal means, but the guilt at breaking the law was too great, and then the guilt at not being willing to break the law for his fiancée was driving him crazy…) Jason wondered whether Piper’s assignment to Hazel’s case as a counsellor was more for Frank than for Hazel.

The only reason they could afford to keep a roof over their heads and pay her hospital bills was because since Hazel was a recently graduated medical student doing her residency at Delphi, the staff did everything they could to reduce the bills, and because Frank had a decent-sized inheritance from his grandmother and had pawned all of his medals.

That last bit of information really struck Jason.

A hero (a man who was more of a hero than he would ever be, no matter what thousands of people said) was practically selling the recognition, however small, that his country had given him.

It just wasn’t right.

And that feeling stuck.

* * *

Jason shook his head, in time with Calypso, at something annoyingly stupid, yet somewhat funny, though they’d never admit it, thing that Leo had just said.

It’d been quite a while since Jason’s first trip to the hospital, and though he was coming up on the end of Reyna’s imposed community service, he thought he might keep coming back, just to check up on the friends he’d made.

Though, Leo and Calypso wouldn’t be among them.

Leo was currently pushing Calypso out of the hospital in a wheelchair (her casts had finally been removed, but she still wasn’t supposed to be walking too far). Both of them were grinning, and on Calypso’s lap rested a giant bunch of mechanical flowers.

Jason and Leo helped the young woman into Festus, and they bid one another farewell (Jason promised to visit the garage/café that they were talking about setting up), before Leo got into the driver’s seat.

‘You ready to be free, Sunshine?’

‘As long as your driving has improved!’

‘I’ll have you know that this bad boy is an excellent driver, thank you very much!’

Jason just smiled at their antics.

They had a really weird way of flirting.

Piper, who was sticking her head out of one of the first floor windows, watching, waved at him as he walked back towards the entrance, grinning. She mouthed a few words at him, which Jason was pretty sure were: _Yeah, tell me about it._

* * *

‘I used to play.’

Jason looked up at Frank (he was even taller than him). He was sitting with him by Hazel’s bedside, helping him sort out the classifieds in his attempt to find a job.

‘Pardon?’

Frank looked rather flustered, and rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Football, back in high school. I mean, I was nowhere near as good as you…but apparently I was pretty decent. I played line-backer, and a couple of colleges offered me a scholarship…’

‘But you turned them down and joined the Army instead.’

Jason couldn’t help but let the respect leech into his voice, and that flustered the other man even more.

‘Umm…yeah.’

And somehow, football tactics were what Hazel woke up to find them talking about.

Later, a seed of an idea started sprouting in Jason’s mind.

Hazel and Frank wouldn’t accept charity. They wouldn’t accept him giving them a lump of money, and it was not a very good solution anyway.

But Frank was a great football tactician, and he’d be a good teacher, and Jason just might know how to get him a job. He’d see if his old high school had a vacancy for a football coach, and put Frank in touch with them….

It was not the only idea he has growing in his mind. Things like Veterans’ affairs and suicide prevention were floating around too.

He had a few things he needed to sort out first, and he wanted to run the ideas past Piper…but these stories had struck him, and he was determined to see them get happy endings.

* * *

‘Percy?’

‘Jason?’

The two football players and teammates stared at one another.

‘What are you doing here?’

Jason responded first.

‘I’m volunteering here.’

Percy looked surprised, before the blonde woman next to him elbowed him in the stomach and hissed at Seaweed Brain to be polite. He rearranged his features into something more neutral.

(Frankly, Jason didn’t blame Percy. The idea of Jason Grace doing charity work, doing something other than living and breathing football and working on his career would have been shocking to Jason himself not all that long ago.)

Percy gestured at the woman beside him (his wife? Girlfriend?) and beamed like a child in a candy store.

‘Annabeth and I are expecting!’

Jason’s eyes widened.

He didn’t know Percy very well at all, apart from a rivalry they both indulged at training. He didn’t realize that Percy was in a relationship, or was going to be a father. Now that his eyes were opened, he noticed, for the first time, the wedding ring that rested on his finger.

Guess that proved Reyna’s original point.

‘Congratulations!’

Percy and Annabeth both smiled at him in thanks, and they chatted cordially for a while.

As the couple left, Jason reflected.

Percy had always tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. He loved football, but never let it completely consume him. He worked hard enough to be considered a disciplined-enough professional, but never more.

In short, he had a life beyond football.

Jason decided that he would definitely be learning from Percy’s example.

It was then that he had a brief vision of himself as an old man telling stories, like the story of Katie chasing Travis, or Leo and Calypso, the light-hearted ones, to little children with kaleidoscope eyes and blonde hair.

He felt a flush creeping up his face, and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

(Well, clear them as best as they could. Images like that, ones that meant so much, that represented so many of your hopes and dreams and maybes were hard to let go of.)

* * *

‘You’re Percy Jackson’s teammate?’

Jason was confused, but did his best to hide it. Nico rarely spoke to him, even when he sat in his room for hours at a time.

(Jason knew that Nico was very much a long-term patient, he’d had multiple relapses in the time that Jason had known him.)

‘Yes, I am.’

Nico fiddled with his bedspread for a few minutes, and the room was filled with a rather awkward silence.

Finally, Nico broke it, and when he spoke, his voice was so small, and so like broken glass, that Jason had to strain to hear it and winced when he did.

‘I had a crush on Percy Jackson.’ He took another deep breath. ‘That’s why…that’s why I hated myself. That’s the truth. That’s my big secret. I’m…I’m…’

‘Nico, it’s okay. I get it. You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.’

Nico clenched his fists.

‘I’m…I’m gay.’

Jason made eye contact with him, doing everything he could to make sure the respect he felt for the younger man clear in his eyes.

‘Nico, I’ve seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest.’

Nico gave him a very, very weak smile, and they sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Again, it was the patient who broke it.

‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone…I’m still…not completely comfortable with people knowing. You’re the third person I’ve told, after Piper and Will.’

Jason suppressed a smile at the mention of both of those names. (Now he understood the looks that Nico sometimes seemed to give Will that he’d never deciphered before.)

‘I promise I won’t tell. It’s your call. Your decision to share or not.’ Jason looked seriously at him. ‘I can only tell you, and I know you’ve heard it millions of times before, but there’s nothing wrong with being homosexual. If anyone gives you any trouble for it, I’ll back you up.’

Nico just seemed more stunned than anything else.

‘Thank…thank you.’

Later, after they’d talked about nothing much in particular for a while, as Jason walked towards the door, Nico spoke.

‘You know, I don’t feel that way anymore. About Percy. He’s…he’s not really my type after all.’

Jason resisted the urge to tease the younger man, and simply smiled, recalling those looks and a very stubborn doctor.

‘I know.’

* * *

Perhaps Nico’s bravery was really inspiring, or perhaps he was just feeling particularly foolhardy after The Olympians’ big win yesterday, but Jason found himself standing outside Piper’s office, a bunch of flowers in hand.

Well, here goes nothing.

He stepped inside.

* * *

Jason knocked on the door of Hazel’s hospital room, the little boxes in his hands feeling very heavy.

After quickly greeting Hazel and Frank, he handed Frank the boxes.

The veteran opened them…and promptly burst into tears, as did his fiancée.

They both glanced at one another, then at Jason.

Hazel got out of her bed, slowly, and tottered over to where the football player stood, and flung her arms around her.

‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’

Shocked, Jason hugged her back as gently as he could.

A moment later, he felt Frank wrap both of them in the gentlest bear hug Jason had ever experienced (and would likely ever experience).

Later, Jason would think that their incredible gratitude was rather excessive.

All he’d done was to return Frank’s medals to their rightful owner, after all.

* * *

_Aphrodite Magazine, Issue 17, 2017_

Jason Grace, star quarterback of The Olympians, and patron of many charities, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is getting married! We at _Aphrodite_ would like to congratulate Mr Grace and his fiancé, Piper McLean!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not completely sure on the realism of whether this would be allowed in a hospital, what disease Hazel even has, and whether Hazel and Frank would even find themselves in this financial situation. I know that the relationship between Will and Nico is probably illegal. But I’d like to ask you guys to suspend your disbelief for the sake of the story!


	20. Fill-in-the-Blanks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Complete crack fic. This is inspired by all of those fill-in-the-blanks with your favourite characters games. Note that the characterizations and pairings are mostly non-canon as a result.

* * *

ONE

* * *

‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Hazel!’

Blushing, Frank held out the stuffed panda bear with a heart on a ribbon around its neck to his girlfriend.

Hazel beamed, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

‘Thank you, Frank, I love it.’

_And I love you._

* * *

‘Hazel, we can’t stay. It’s too dangerous. For us, and for him.’ Nico grabbed his sister’s hands. ‘We have to leave. Now.’

Hazel glanced over at the panda bear resting on her bed, tears welling in her eyes.

_I’m sorry, Frank. I’m so, so sorry…but I can’t put you in danger like this._

She started packing.

The panda bear was left resting on her bed.

* * *

_She’s gone._

_She’s gone._

_She’s gone._

Frank took another swig of the foul-tasting beer, draining the glass and plonking it on the table along with its peers.

Hazel was gone.

Gone.

And he was all alone.

* * *

Frank groaned as he woke, the light already unbearable through his eyelids. His head was throbbing, and he just didn’t want to move.

Slowly, he opened his eyes…to reveal a bedroom that was most definitely not his…and moments later, a tanned, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man entered his field of vision.

Frank blinked.

_Uh, oh…._

The man (Frank thought his name might be Will, if his fuzzy memories of the previous night were to be believed…) spoke.

‘I think we need to talk about last night.’

* * *

‘This is just not working out. You’re a great guy, Frank, but it’s obvious you’re pining…’ The young woman with cinnamon toast-coloured hair _(just like Hazel’s_ ) and almond eyes sighed and glanced over at the curly-haired, pointy-eared young man in the corner. Frank did too. ‘And so am I.’

Calypso reached out and put a hand on his arm.

‘Leo and I ended terribly….and I don’t want us to be the same. Let’s part now, and on…well, okay terms, at least.’

He nodded numbly.

They both stared at the mechanic in the corner.

* * *

‘Go talk to him.’

Frank stared at the blonde, glasses-wearing Superman.

‘Jason-‘

‘Frank, it’ll be good for you. It’ll be good for both of you. I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at each other, and I think you could be happy. Happier than you are now, anyway.’ Jason made eye contact with him. ‘Piper thinks so too.’

Frank took a deep breath, then another.

‘Thanks, Jason.’

He took another deep breath, and walked over to talk to Leo.

Jason smiled.

‘Anytime, man, anytime.’

* * *

‘He’s happy with Leo, Hazel.’

Hazel closed her eyes briefly. _But not with me…_

‘I know.’ She swallowed. ‘And I’m happy for that.’ (That was the truth. She couldn’t begrudge him happiness.)

Nico seemed to pick up on her mood. He reached out and took her hand.

‘I’m sorry, but we had no choice.’

‘I know.’

_(But I still love him.)_

* * *

TWO

* * *

Jason, Hazel, Piper, Frank and Percy sat in a circle, with an abundant supply of snacks.

‘Hazel, truth or dare?’

Hazel pursed her lips, regarding Jason as she made her decision.

‘Truth.’

Jason smirked.

‘Okay…who do you have a crush on?’

Hazel blushed, and started fanning her face rapidly.

‘Umm…is it too late to change to dare?’

Everyone shook their heads. Percy jogged her with his elbow, smirking.

‘Nope, Hazel, it’s far too late! You’ve got to fess up!’

Her blush intensified.

‘Percy-‘

‘No buts!’

She fanned her face harder, and looked down at the floor. When she spoke, her voice was very, very quiet.

‘Piper.’

The other girl’s eyes widened.

Across the circle, so did Percy’s.

Their eyes met.

_Oh, no…._

* * *

Percy ran a hand through his hair.

‘I didn’t know, or I wouldn’t have…I wouldn’t have pushed her like that…’

Piper reached out and embraced him, and they stood there for a moment, just being together.

‘She would have been heartbroken eventually, you know. It’s just a shame that it happened this way, but what can we do? I’m just not interested in her that way.’

Percy nodded, and a few moments later, a slow smirk began to spread across his face.

‘Well, Miss McLean, precisely who are you interested in that way?’

Piper grinned.

‘Let me demonstrate…’

* * *

Frank patted Hazel somewhat awkwardly on the back. The young woman was currently crying into a handful of tissues from the box in his apartment.

‘You know, you’re a great person, Hazel. A wonderful person. It’s Piper’s loss. You’ll find someone who really loves you and treasures you one day, I know you will.’

She looked up at him, gold eyes gleaming with tears. Frank’s heart did a funny little jump.

‘You really think so?’

He nodded firmly and resolutely.

‘Yes, yes I do.’

She gave him a wan smile.

* * *

Percy smiled devilishly, and without warning, swept his girlfriend off her feet and into his arms.

‘Percy! Put me down!’

He shook his head, and just started running down the beach, into the sunset.

* * *

‘No…no…no…he’s mine. Mine. My precious. Mine. Mine!’

Jason paced through his apartment, a crazy, cold glint in his eyes.

He picked up his phone, which showed a photo of Frank and Hazel at the carnival together, him handing her a teddy bear he’d just won and her kissing him on the cheek in return.

The image made him burn irrationally.

He threw the phone across the room.

The screen shattered.

Frank was _his._

Hazel had to _go._

He paced over to his safe and pulled out his gun.

* * *

‘Jason Grace, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Hazel Levesque. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to an attorney…’

Jason glared at the police officer arresting him, a pale, skinny, dark-haired young man called Officer di Angelo, apparently.

He glared at the happy couple less than fifty feet away.

Most of all, he glared at Hazel, who was currently crying into the chest of and being comforted by _his_ Frank.

Damn her.

* * *

_Dear Nico,_

_We’d like to invite you to our wedding! It’s the least we could do, after all you’ve done for us. Please find attached the invitation._

_Love,_

_Hazel and Frank_

* * *

THREE

* * *

Annabeth, Percy, Reyna and Piper laughed as they shared another round of drinks (courtesy of Reyna) at the bar.

They were all rather intoxicated, to say the least.

‘…And then he was all like eat my socks…so I did!’

Percy chortled ridiculously at his own joke.

The other three shook their heads.

Suddenly, Percy’s laughter stopped.

Quite seriously, he made an announcement.

‘I’m in love with Frank.’

Piper and Reyna stared at him in disbelief.

Annabeth just saw red.

* * *

‘…I’ll need ropes, and antiseptic, as well as chloroform or an equivalent sedative…’

Annabeth paced through her bedroom, grey eyes cold and calculating.

Seaweed Brain was hers.

She just had to keep it that way.

She just had to keep him away from teddy bear boy.

She just needed a plan.

He would be hers.

He would be.

Just like she was his.

* * *

‘Annabeth, you can’t do this.’

The blonde in question struggled with the duct tape bonds that kept her from lashing out at her captors, Piper and Reyna.

‘You can’t just kidnap Percy to keep him away from Frank!’

‘It’s wrong on so many levels!’

Annabeth just kept struggling, trying to speak against her gag, eyes alternating between calculating and wild.

Piper turned to Reyna.

‘We’re going to have to monitor her constantly to prevent her from trying again, aren’t we?’

The other woman nodded.

‘Unfortunately, yes.’

* * *

Piper and Reyna stared at one another, mutually entranced.

‘I…’

‘We…we should talk…’

Boldly, Piper reached out and took the other girl’s hands.

‘Reyna, I-‘

There was a loud scream. It sounded like Percy.

Their eyes widened. Piper let go of Reyna’s hands.

‘Annabeth!’

* * *

The blonde stood before a terrified Percy and a very confused (but no less terrified) Frank, holding a gun.

Piper and Reyna rushed down the stairs as fast as they could, but they were still a floor up, and she was about to pull the trigger…

Quite suddenly, out of nowhere, a familiar young woman with cinnamon curls appeared. She pointed to the ground beneath Annabeth’s feet.

‘You have nothing left to stand on. Look.’

A trapdoor appeared under her feet, and she fell, screaming.

Hazel smiled at them all, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, really, really weird. Everyone loves Frank? I don’t know how that happened…
> 
> These are the fill-in-the-blanks that inspired this story.
> 
> [Frank] and [Hazel] are in a happy relationship until [Nico] runs off with [Hazel]. [Frank], heartbroken, has a hot one-night stand with [Will] and a brief unhappy relationship with [Calypso] then follows the wise advice of [Jason] and finds true love with [Leo].
> 
> [Jason], [Hazel], [Piper], [Frank] and [Percy] are playing truth or dare. [Jason] asks [Hazel], and [Hazel] says truth. [Jason] asks who [Hazel] loves and [Hazel], after some prodding from [Percy], confesses they love [Piper]. [Piper] does not share this feeling and is in fact in a secret relationship with [Percy]. [Hazel] is heartbroken and seeks comfort in [Frank], while [Piper] and [Percy] run into the sunset together. However, [Jason] is secretly in love with [Frank] and becomes so jealous of [Hazel], who has started a relationship with [Frank], so [Jason] decides to murder [Hazel], but is stopped by police officer [Nico] and sent to prison, allowing [Hazel] and [Frank] to continue their relationship.
> 
> [Annabeth], [Percy], [Piper], and [Reyna] are at a bar, when [Percy] makes a drunken confession that they are in love with [Frank]. [Annabeth] is secretly in love with [Percy], and plots to abduct them to keep them away from [Frank], but is stopped by [Piper] and [Reyna]. They now have to monitor them constantly to ensure it does not occur, since [Annabeth] is crazy, and they volunteer to do this. However, they develop feelings for one another, and so distracted by this that [Annabeth] goes on a rampage. Just in time to save [Frank] and [Percy] from an untimely death, [Hazel] magically appears and vanquishes [Annabeth] forever.


	21. Hogwarts

A paper plane hit Nico in the back of the head as he left the Great Hall after lunch.

The Fourth Year scowled, wondering what idiot had decided to throw something at Nico ‘Ghost King’ di Angelo, scary loner Slytherin. (Having said that, his reputation had suffered of late due to befriending ‘the Seven’, Reyna and Will.)

He picked up the plane, and it opened to reveal a note.

_Sorry for the means of transport of this note, man- but we couldn’t t ell you at lunch because the girls can’t know. Meet us in the Inter-House Common Room at seven tonight. Tell no-one. Not even Will. – Jason and Percy_

Nico rolled his eyes. Yule Ball dates. Of course. Apparently, he was invited, even though asking a girl to the Ball was of no interest to him whatsoever.

Jason and Percy (especially Percy) were idiots. Gryffindors, of course.

They were two of the Seven, who were, as the name suggested, seven students, famous among the school for being pioneers in the realm of inter-house friendships.

There was Percy Jackson, Seventh Year Gryffindor, Annabeth Chase, Seventh Year Ravenclaw, Jason Grace, Sixth Year Gryffindor, Piper McLean, Sixth Year Slytherin, Leo Valdez, Sixth Year Ravenclaw, Frank Zhang, Sixth Year Hufflepuff, and Hazel Levesque, Third Year Hufflepuff.

Recently, the group had expanded somewhat, with Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Sixth Year Hufflepuff, Nico himself, and Will Solace, Fifth Year Gryffindor, joining.

(Reyna because she and Jason, who were childhood friends, had finally reconnected properly and she had moved past her definitively unrequited feelings for him, Nico because Hazel, his half-sister, had finally succeeded in prodding him into socializing, and because he’d started moving past…well, his past. And Will…Nico didn’t really know how he’d ended up becoming friends with that stubborn, infuriating, sunny Gryffindor, but he’d apparently decided that he was Nico’s personal Healer or something and that Nico needed healing and better healthcare. Now he was forcing him to eat certain foods and do exercise, and all these other things that even Hazel would only firmly suggest or demand. Stupid Gryffindor.)

Nico glanced at the note again.

_Don’t tell anyone. Not even Will._

He rolled his eyes.

Great. He already had to put up with it from Cecil and Lou Ellen (his fellow Slytherin Fourth Years, and good friends of Will’s), but now his other friends too?

(He was not in love with Will. He didn’t even like him that way. Definitely not. No, no, no. He was annoying and frustrating, even if he was really handsome and actually rather nice. Annoying.)

Nico stuffed the note in his pocket.

Well, he had to go, or Jason and Percy would annoy the hell out of him.

Why in the name of Merlin had he ever come out to his stupid friends again?

* * *

Percy looked very smug when Nico arrived at the corner of the inter-house common room that evening. Jason seemed preoccupied and worried, while Frank looked as if he was about to go face two hundred chimeras in battle single-handedly. Leo was pointedly missing.

Nico scowled, already having a good idea of why.

‘Where’s Valdez?’

Percy looked smug.

‘He’s finalizing his attempt to woo Calypso. He’s going to ask her to the Ball.’

Frank looked confused.

‘Doesn’t she hate him?’

Calypso, who was a Sixth Year Hufflepuff, and she and Leo had had a rather infamous rivalry since he’d set her Herbology Project on fire in Third Year. They’d practically hated each other for a couple of years, but of late, seemed to be warming up to one another. (Piper, Hazel, and most of the other girls claimed that they had shifted into the flirting-by-arguing/bickering stage, when people claimed they hated one another when they were really in love.)

Knowing Leo, it was probably a weird contraption, like a flaming music box or dancing flowers or something.

(Nico privately thought she’d say yes anyway, even if Leo did burn off his eyebrows again.)

He nodded, and Percy continued explaining.

‘Grace is still trying to work up the courage to ask Piper.’

At the mention of that, Jason swallowed nervously.

‘What if she doesn’t feel the same way about me? Or what if she refuses because we’re in different Houses?’

Nico sat down opposite Jason and rolled his eyes.

‘You need to get your eyes checked again, Grace. It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t completely blind that she’s practically in love with you. And since when did any of us give Merlin’s balls about Houses?’

Jason nodded slowly, straightening his glasses.

‘Thanks, Nico.’

The Slytherin didn’t say anything, but gave Jason a slight hint of a smile.

Percy gestured towards Frank, who was now muttering to himself, running a hand through his very short hair.

‘And Zhang here is agonizing over asking Hazel.’

Nico wasn’t surprised. It was as clear as The Draught of Living Death that Frank was quite head-over-heels for his little sister. Nico was actually perfectly okay with that, even if Frank was almost three years older. He was practically a giant teddy bear anyway, and harmless unless you aroused his protective instincts, which, from a big-brother perspective, was really desirable in a little sister’s boyfriend. Besides, Frank and Hazel were best friends, and Nico knew she fancied him as well.

But he gave Frank a death glare anyway. Couldn’t be too careful.

Frank looked rather fearful, but after glancing briefly down at his feet, maintained eye contact with Nico, blushing.

‘I swear, I won’t hurt her. I’ll do anything to keep her safe. I-‘

Nico nodded, expression still neutral.

‘I know, Zhang, but if you do…’

Frank swallowed nervously, but nodded.

‘Understood.’ He ran a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck and turning back to Percy and Jason. ‘But what if she says no? Or worse, what if she only says yes because she’s a Third Year and she won’t be allowed to go otherwise?’

Frank looked so distressed at the notion that even Nico felt sorry for him.

Jason patted him on the back, and a still-smug Percy spoke, speaking for all of them.

‘She won’t, Frank.’ Percy smiled at Nico, who was relieved that skeletal Doxies didn’t start flying around his stomach like they’d used to when he did that. ‘Circe, you must be blinder than Grace!’

Jason looked rather offended, and Nico sensed that their ridiculous friendly rivalry was about to start up again.

‘Perce, you asked Annabeth yet, since you’re so smug?’

Percy looked even smugger.

‘Don’t have to, Grace. Perks of having a girlfriend.’

Jason raised an eyebrow at him. Frank frowned. Internally, Nico cheered. This was going to be good.

‘Oh, really, Jackson? I’m pretty sure that social convention dictates that you still have to ask…I mean, I’m sure Piper mentioned something about it…’

Percy’s smug look disappeared instantly, and he turned rather pale.

‘Really?’ He looked aghast. ‘Merlin’s beard, Wise Girl’s going to _Avada_ me!’ His eyes filled with panic. ‘No, she’s going to do worse than _Avada_ me, she’s going to chase me around with those canaries she can conjure and feed me to the thestrals!’

The other three boys looked rather amused. Annabeth wouldn’t actually hurt Percy, seriously anyway; she loved him far too much.

Jason smirked, an unusual look on his face.

‘Well, you’d better go ask her now, Jackson.’ He gestured with his head to the far side of the common room, where Annabeth and Reyna were studying together.

Percy turned even paler.

‘No, I can do it later...I mean…’

He took one look at Jason’s challenging expression, Frank’s sympathetic but somewhat vengeful countenance, and Nico’s blank one, and finding no allies, sighed, and stood.

He walked over to where Annabeth and Reyna were, and plonked himself on Annabeth’s desk, carefully avoiding all of her work.

‘Hey, Wise Girl, will you go to the Ball with me?’

Annabeth barely looked up from her work.

‘I thought it was implied, given our relationship status, Seaweed Brain.’

But she was smiling broadly, so Percy realized that he probably owed Jason a Butterbeer next Hogsmeade weekend.

He leant over and kissed her briefly.

‘Love you, Wise Girl.’

Her grey eyes looked warmly on him.

‘Love you too, Seaweed Brain. Now go, I have to study.’

Percy gave a mock salute, and sauntered back over to the other boys, sparking much chatter among them, and teasing and good-natured jibes between Percy and Jason.

Nico may or may not have encouraged this conversation.

(After all, he already had to put up with Lou Ellen and Cecil trying to get him to ask Will; he didn’t need his other friends going on about it either. He was firmly determined to go single, just like Reyna.)

* * *

‘Where have you been?’

Nico didn’t turn to face Will, who’d pulled him into an alcove behind a tapestry on his way out of Charms. He simply shrugged.

‘I’ve been busy, and it’s a big school. Guess I just didn’t bump into you.’

(Not true. He’d been actively avoiding the Gryffindor, even if that made him far sadder than it should have, because Lou Ellen and Cecil and all his other friends were just being ridiculous about the whole Yule Ball thing. But he didn’t want Will to know that.)

Will crossed his arms. When he spoke, there was hurt and anger in his tone.

‘Crupshit. You’ve been avoiding me, di Angelo.’ Will bit on his lip, and Nico’s eyes instantly drifted to the area in question. He cursed himself internally. _Stop it. You don’t even know if he…if he feels the same way as you._ (Happy, everyone? He’d finally admitted it!) _But the way he’s reacting…could just be how a friend would react. Besides, he’s Solace. He’s kind of like that. Remember the Great Potions Accident of last year? How he practically demanded you bring snacks to the Hospital Wing for him? ‘_

Will looked imploringly at him, eyes more vulnerable and hurt than Nico had ever seen.

‘Why, Nico, why?’ Will took a deep breath, then another. Nico noticed he was blushing, and the skeletal Doxies in his stomach started flying around hopefully. ‘I…I thought that…umm…I thought that I’d read you properly, and that…well, I know that you’re into wizards…and I…I thought…’ Will took another deep breath. ‘I thought you fancied me too.’

Nico just stared at him, still trying to process the wave of emotions that were flooding through him.

_Fancied me too._

_Will fancied him, just like Nico fancied Will._

Will, unfortunately, seemed to have lost all of his usual confidence, and took a step away from Nico, making for the alcove exit.

Almost of its own volition, Nico’s hand shot out and grabbed his.

Will looked down at their joined hands, a little red and incredibly shocked.

He knew that Nico hated being touched.

Nico, shocked and blushing himself, took a deep, shuddering breath.

‘Will….I…I like you too.’

The Gryffindor beamed.

Nico found himself smiling too.

* * *

Nico, in black dress robes, and Will, in sunshine yellow, briefly greeted one another in the Entrance Hall when they just-so-happened to run into each other, before parting and entering separately, just like friends (just friends) would.

They ignored Lou Ellen (in vibrant green) and Cecil (in charcoal grey), who exchanged unhappy looks about this.

Nico smirked to himself as he watched Will lead Lou Ellen and Cecil, who were each other’s dates, to their table.

Oh, those two had it coming.

He and Will had the perfect plan.

They would be completely cordial, but nothing more than friendly towards one another for the entire Ball…then, just before it ended, they’d go off into the gardens, and let Cecil and Lou Ellen (who would inevitably follow) catch them holding hands...

Oh, he looked forward to watching those two stew for the whole evening.

It would be great payback.

* * *

Percy met Annabeth at the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower.

Or at least he was supposed to.

It kind of ended up being more like gaping.

But in his defence, Annabeth looked stunning in her grey and blue (just like his!) dress robes, with her curly hair mostly down.

She walked up to him, smiling.

‘You’re drooling, Seaweed Brain.’

(And he was. He’d never been smooth with witches…but from the way she kissed him in greeting and that sparkle in her eyes…Wise Girl didn’t care and was actually really flattered. He knew there was a reason why he loved her.)

* * *

Jason gaped for a moment, before removing his glasses and wiping them on his robe, putting them back on, and blinking rapidly.

Piper, a vision in green-blue robes, hair in her usual choppy braids, walked over to him, grinning.

‘Your glasses are fine, and you’re not Confunded, Jason.’

He offered her his arm without even thinking about it, and she accepted gracefully, practically leading him away from the Slytherin Common Room, towards the Great Hall.

He blurted out the first thing that came to mind when his capabilities of speech were restored.

‘You’re beautiful.’

She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

‘Thank you. And you look very handsome yourself; purple really is your colour.’

He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he grinned like an idiot.

* * *

Frank stared.

He felt kind of bad for it, because there he was, staring at his best friend with his mouth slightly open, kind of like she was a piece of meat and not the absolutely incredible girl she was. (She looked incredible too, in gold dress robes and her curls done up in a bun.)

Hazel smiled at him, slightly shyly.

Frank jolted himself out of his dumbstruck state. Hazel deserved better than that.

‘Wow…you look amazing…I mean, not that you don’t normally, but…’

Hazel’s smile broadened, and she flushed and fanned her face.

‘You’re wonderful, Frank.’ She flushed deeper. ‘And you look very handsome and distinguished.’

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

He turned about as red as his dress robes.

* * *

‘You’re late.’

Calypso, quite goddess-like in cream, arched her eyebrows at him, arms crossed. But her eyes were gleaming.

‘Sorry, Sunshine. Traffic was murder.’

(Well, not really, but how was he supposed to know that it took that long to comb your hair properly, and get all the grease out from under his nails, and charm the creases out of his robes?)

Her eyes roamed over him (impressed and flattered that he’d actually cleaned up for her), as his roamed over her.

Leo wolf-whistled.

‘Circe, you’re hot.’

Calypso quirked an eyebrow at him.

‘You are full of it, Leo Valdez.’

(She tried to look offended, but in the end, failed miserably. Maybe Leo was ridiculously inappropriate and somewhat offensive…but he was _Leo.)_

* * *

Will and Nico shared a smile as they walked through the gardens.

Will reached out and laced his fingers with Nico’s…and about thirty seconds later, they heard a shout of _what in the name of Morgana_ (Lou Ellen) and a squeal (Cecil), followed by an awful lot of noise.

The couple glanced at one another, and broke into laughter.

Revenge was so sweet.

* * *

Jason pointed up at the night sky.

‘Look.’

‘Beautiful.’ Piper snuggled up against Jason, and he put his arm around her. They were sitting on a section of the roof, Jason having summoned his broom to get them up there. ‘But aren’t you going to get into trouble?’

‘Who cares?’

Piper laughed quietly. ‘Who are you?’

He turned, his glasses pale bronze in the starlight. ‘Jason Grace. Pleased to meet you.’

And he kissed her, and Piper felt like those things called toasters that they’d learned about in Muggle Studies. All her internal parts were red-hot. Any more warmth and she’d start smelling like burnt toast.

He pulled away slightly, and their eyes met, and they both smiled.

This was the start of something wonderful.

* * *

‘Seaweed Brain, do you really have to charm your pumpkin juice blue? It doesn’t even look like pumpkin juice anymore!’

Percy pouted.

‘It tastes so much better that way!’

‘You’re ridiculous.’ Annabeth shifted closer to him. ‘Remind me why I love you again?’

Percy smirked.

‘Is that an invitation?’                                                                      

She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the Hall, towards an alcove she knew would be unoccupied (unlike all the broom closets).

Yes, it was an invitation.

* * *

‘…And your other hand goes here….and we sort of revolve on the spot in time to the music…one, two, three…one, two, three…’

Frank listened and tried very hard as Hazel instructed him in the art of dancing.

Unfortunately, dancing was not Frank’s forte, and he and Hazel nearly ended up barrelling into Katie Gardner and Travis Stoll. He also tripped over twice and stepped on her feet three times.

Two failed attempts later, they sat back down, sipping pumpkin juice.

Frank looked incredibly sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘I’m really sorry, Hazel…I guess I’m just a terrible dancer…Are your feet okay? I mean, I didn’t hurt you too badly did I? I’m really, really sorry, I completely understand if you’re upset with me-‘

Hazel reached out and squeezed his hand gently.

‘Frank, I’m not upset with you. You were willing to learn to dance, you even _asked_ me, even if it is clearly not your thing, because I wanted to.’ She smiled. ‘Besides, all you need is more practice.’ Her smile widened. ‘And I’d love to teach you.’

He grinned at her.

He might not be very fond of dancing, but dance lessons with Hazel were a whole different game of Quidditch.

* * *

Leo dropped Calypso back off at the Hufflepuff Common Room at the end of the Ball.

After the usual brief chat, goodnight so on and so forth, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He was almost too shocked to kiss her back.

Calypso pulled away.

‘That didn’t happen.’

Leo’s voice sounded kind of strangled when he spoke.

‘Okay.’

‘I still hate you, Leo Valdez.’

‘Okay.’

(But from that look in her eyes, she definitely didn’t.)

(He didn’t either. Definitely not.)


	22. Just Like Fiction

Frank grinned as he walked into the book store.

Today, the latest issue of _Franklin Wong_ was out.

The _Franklin Wong_ series was his absolute favourite series of comic books. The titular character, Franklin, was a teen superhero with the ability to turn into animals (how cool was that?), who had to juggle the demands of a teenage high schooler’s life with saving the city constantly from his arch-nemesis, Gaea.

The last arc had been _so_ good. (The best arc ever, he thought.)

It had centred on Franklin’s relationship with his best friend and not-so-secret crush Holly, and how she ended up getting tangled up into his second life, despite being completely unaware of it.

(He might be a teenage boy, but he kind of liked the emotional development/character relationship storylines. Sue him.)

The writers had pulled out a _really_ big twist on them.

They’d been hinting for about twenty issues that Holly, too, had some kind of power.

(Frank was very proud of himself for picking up on the hints.)

But that wasn’t the big plot twist.

Oh, no, nowhere near close.

In the last arc, Holly had been forced by her mother, who had in turn been forced by Gaea, to create Alcyoneus, essentially a violence-driven monster, to destroy the city, over a period of months.

In a tortuous twist of fate (he’d felt so, so terrible for Holly the entire time; she was such a nice, wonderful, amazing person; she really didn’t deserve it), Franklin, while he’d noticed the increasing strain that Holly was under, and was trying everything to alleviate it and losing sleep because of it, failed to realize _why._ He simply didn’t consider evil villain involvement as a possibility. Now, Frank understood that it wasn’t usually the first thing that people thought of when their best friend was stressed out, but he’d kind of wanted to drop-kick Franklin into a canal or something. (Holly was in trouble! He should have made it all better for her! Okay, maybe he wasn’t being fair…)

At the same time, Franklin was chasing leads about Gaea’s latest evil plot, assisted by clues left by someone (later revealed to be Holly, who was struggling with the guilt, but trying to build up courage to go against Gaea and her mother and risk losing the only family she had left).

In the second-last issue, Franklin had finally found Gaea just as Alcyoneus was about to rise. He’d finally discovered Holly’s involvement…just as she’d finally stood up and openly refused to raise Alcyoneus like Gaea had commanded.

Gaea (and Frank tensed even at the memory of this) had attempted to kill her…and that issue had promptly ended with Franklin looking on powerless and frozen. The superhero had to save Holly, defeat Alcyoneus and stop Gaea…but he was too far away to do anything.

Thank the gods that the next issue had had a happy ending. (He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Holly had died; it’d have destroyed Franklin, and that might just have destroyed him too. Yes, he was too attached to fictional characters, but it was just _that_ good.)

That issue had finished with a moderately happy ending. There’d been redemption for Holly’s mother, who’d died saving her daughter. (Frank admitted that he’d cried during that scene.)

Holly and Franklin had then defeated Alcyoneus together, though Gaea had gotten away.

The last scene had been a beautifully poignant one, with Holly (still unaware of Franklin’s identity) and Franklin sharing their grief and comforting one another, and then a moment just after he revealed his secret identity that still sent shivers down Frank’s spine and made him kind of want to scream.

_‘You make a very handsome elephant, Franklin.’_

_And the second-last box had shown her standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek, a sad smile on her face, and the last one a blushing yet terribly distressed Franklin watching as she walked away from him…_

Frank had prayed to gods he wasn’t sure he believed in that Holly wasn’t actually leaving Franklin for good.

The writers couldn’t do that now, could they?

After everything that had just happened?

They couldn’t. They wouldn’t. Right?

His palms were getting slightly sweaty as he picked up the latest issue of _Franklin Wong_ off the book shelf.

Well, there was only one way to find out…

He started towards the cash register…and promptly walked into a much shorter figure, who went tumbling to the ground.

‘Oh gods, I’m so sorry, I really should have been watching where I was going, are you okay? I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean-‘

‘It’s okay, no harm done.’

Frank did a bit of a double-take, having finally gotten a good look at the teenage girl who was sitting up on the floor.

His first thought was _Holly._

In all fairness, she did look an awful lot like her, with the same dark cocoa skin and cinnamon-toast hair and nearly gold eyes.

(Though, she seemed even more beautiful. He immediately scolded himself for thinking that.)

He shook himself out of his stupor (luckily, she seemed to be staring at him too, and an irrational part of him started to wish that maybe it was because she thought _Franklin_ when she looked at him- Leo did always tease him about resembling the character), and helped her up.

The girl glanced at the comic book in his hand and grinned.

‘You’ve got good taste. _Franklin Wong_ is my favourite.’ She tucked a curl behind her ear, and held out a hand for him to shake. ‘I’m Hazel.’

* * *

‘They can’t! How dare they!’

Annabeth Chase paced the length of her bedroom floor furiously. Her best friend Thalia pulled an earphone out of her left ear. Annabeth kept ranting.

‘…Completely destroying the message…’

Annabeth had just read the official blurb for the next Anne-Marie Chandler book, which was due to be released in just over four months.

The Anne-Marie Chandler series was about a tough, strong, Indiana-Jones-esque archaeologist. Anne-Marie embarked on many adventures, stopping bad guys with her wit and cunning plans, saving artefacts and putting them in museums for future generations to see; building something permanent.

Annabeth was a very, very big fan. She saw a lot of herself in Anne-Marie, and absolutely adored the books.

But now…now Richard Reerdon, the author, was introducing a _love interest_ for Anne-Marie. One Perseus Johnstone.

Ugh.

Anne-Marie was a strong, independent female character; one of the few in mainstream literature.

Now, they were introducing a love interest for her, and inevitably, this Perseus would rescue her from some scenario (as if Anne-Marie needed rescuing) and they’d ride off into the sunset.

Thalia listened sympathetically to the blond as she ranted and raved, then shrugged.

‘That’s why I stopped reading anything mainstream years ago, Annabeth. At the end of the day, it always reflects what the patriarchy wants.’

Annabeth normally rolled her eyes (at least internally) at such comments by Thalia (they might both be feminists, and respected each other’s opinions…but sometimes even best friends disagreed on things), but this time, she whole-heartedly agreed, and flopped down on the bed beside her.

They may or may not have raged about the stupidity of men and the patriarchy and the idiocy of Richard Reerdon for a very long time.

* * *

Annabeth closed her copy of the latest Anne-Marie Chandler book.

As angry as she’d been about the introduction of Perseus Johnstone, she was too dedicated a fan to not buy and read the latest book.

And…to be honest, she was glad she had.

Perseus Johnstone was actually okay.

She’d definitely loved the reversal of tropes and social expectations; it turned out that Perseus Johnstone was a little bit of an idiot, stumbling into trouble half the time, getting kidnapped and the like. In short, he was the damsel-in-distress and Anne-Marie was his knight-in-shining-armour. (Her favourite archaeologist hadn’t changed at all, which Annabeth was supremely happy about.)

Yet, at the same time, Perseus Johnstone wasn’t a completely useless idiot either. He brought his own skills and positive traits to the table, in particular loyalty, courage and a sense of humour.

He…he was more than okay, really.

And she was happy with the pacing of their romance too, taking it nice and slow, starting as friendship…

Yeah, Annabeth could definitely respect Perseus Johnstone as a character.

And she was actually kind of happy about his introduction.

She was just putting her book back in her backpack, getting ready to get off the bus (even if she still had four stops to go, it was always good to be prepared), when another copy of the latest Anne-Marie Chandler novel fell into her lap.

She looked up, at a sheepish boy her age with the most beautiful sea-green eyes…

‘Sorry! I’m really, really sorry, I didn’t mean-‘

She found that she couldn’t be mad at him. Instead, she just handed him back the book.

He grinned. Annabeth found herself smiling too.

‘I’m Percy.’

* * *

Jason grinned like an idiot as he filed into the packed movie theatre.

Tonight was the first day that the third Jace Graves movie was on in the theatres, and of course he’d had to go to the very first screening.

Jason was a huge, huge fan of the Jace Graves series, ever since the first movie came out.

Jace Graves had just been a teenage boy, who woke up one day not remembering his past life at all, who had powers over lightning. Most of the first movie had been taken up with his quest to try and remember the past, while being trained by his mentor, Chiron (played by Hollywood stalwart Tristan McLean) to be a great hero. The second movie was about Jace attempting to fit in to a whole team of heroes, trying to be the leader he was supposed to be, but struggling with the pressure and his own desires. (Jason could so relate.) Yet, ultimately, Jace had come through, remembered his past, and fit in to his team; and instead of being the big hero, leader, learned to share the load.

Yet…the last movie had also had a tragic ending. It had ended with the sacrifice of Rae, Jace’s love interest from his life before he got amnesia, a brave, strong and loyal young woman, just after he’d found her and remembered her again.

And this movie saw the introduction of a new love interest for Jace, Paige MacArthur, being played by Tristan McLean’s daughter Piper. Paige was half-Lakota, and could talk anyone into doing anything, according to the trailers and promotional material.

(And he may or may not have a bit of a crush on her. Crushing on a fictional character was perfectly normal, okay? Nothing wrong with it.)

* * *

Jason left the theatre with an even bigger grin on his face, and without really paying much attention (far too wrapped up in re-running it over and over in his head), ended up walking into a nearby burger joint.

He walked up to the counter and ordered without really thinking, picked up his order…and promptly spilt half of his food over a very beautiful girl holding a lentil burger.

‘I am so, so sorry!’ He pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket, and handed it to her to clean herself up. ‘I’ll pay to have that dry-cleaned…’

His eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the girl.

Seemingly noticing, she reached out and put a finger to her lips. _Shh!_

He nodded and clamped his mouth firmly shut. She steered him over to a booth in the corner, and removed her sunglasses, still cleaning herself up with her handkerchief. Her eyes sparkled every colour of the rainbow.

She was even more beautiful in real life.

She beamed at him.

He reddened.

‘Did I say that out loud?’

She simply nodded, eyes sparkling in mirth.

Jason rubbed the back of his neck.

She beamed wider, and held out a hand for him to shake.

‘I’m Piper, but I guess you already know that.’

She shook her hand firmly.

‘I’m Jason.’

* * *

Leo did a massive fist-pump as he cleared the level.

The Liam Valdes game was the best!

Seriously, the latest update was da bomb.

Okay, any game about a master blacksmith in a steampunk world was going to be amazing, obviously, but the latest continuation of the storyline, the latest arc, was something else.

It had started with Liam being marooned on an island with an aristocrat girl, Callie, while in the middle of a quest.

They’d hated each other, because she was stuck-up and arrogant and thought she was so much better than a scrawny blacksmith (and Leo had hated her too)…but then something had changed. Shifted. And they’d come to see one another in a different light (and he had too…and hey, she was hot. Really, really hot.) And there was a moment that didn’t happen, and it’d all ended with her volunteering to stay on the island so that Liam could escape.

(And that moment did not break Leo’s heart. It didn’t. Okay, maybe a little bit…)

Liam had vowed to go back and find her, but he couldn’t, and there were several other quests, with Liam being rather morose and heart-broken, spending all his spare time working out how to rescue her. (And Leo totally felt him.)

Leo’s grin grew broader as he remembered the latest twist the studio had thrown at him.

Liam had been flying on Festus, off on another quest, following a lead on the exact location of the island, when a young woman with cinnamon-coloured hair and milky skin had flown up beside him, seemingly borne by nothing but thin air, and declared that she’d gotten so sick of his lateness, that she’d just decided to get herself out of there.

Leo couldn’t recall feeling happier in a long, long time.

He put down his controller, and glanced at the clock.

Shit.

He was late for work. (He was mowing lawns for pocket money during the holidays, and he was supposed to have been at a client’s about twenty minutes ago.)

He ran.

A girl of his age, wearing a pristine white dress and a frown, with her arms crossed, was waiting for him.

‘You’re late.’

He put on his best winning smile.

‘Traffic was murder, Sunshine.’

She glared at him.

‘Don’t call me Sunshine.’ She glanced down at his somewhat-stained, rumpled clothes with distaste. ‘My name is Calypso.’

And she turned and walked away.

(Leo totally didn’t check her out as she did.)

* * *

Will watched riveted as the latest episode of Angel’s Demons played on TV.

Angel’s Demons was his absolute favourite TV show.

It followed the adventures of Nicolas Abatangelo, the angsty, flawed, yet ultimately big-hearted hero, who travelled the globe dealing with all elements of the supernatural.

Nicolas was unique in the sense that he was the only openly-gay action hero in popular culture.

(And boy, the fact that he was there, that he existed, really did make Will feel as if he could be accepted, and had ultimately contributed to him working up the courage to come out to his friends. Hey, if they didn’t care about Nicolas’s sexuality, why would they reject him for his? And they hadn’t.)

So that was why Angel’s Demons was his favourite show. Well, that and the amazing plot and characterisation…and…well, Nicolas was kind of hot. In a death-boy sort of way, as Lou Ellen put it.

* * *

‘You have to go get that cleaned out, or it’ll probably get infected, and blood poisoning is no laughing matter…’

The dark-haired teenager in the really awesome Nicolas Abatangelo cosplay at the convention glared at Will. A real death glare.

Will refused to back down.

That cut on the boy’s hand (an accident with a supposedly-blunt costume sword that wasn’t quite as blunt as the owner had thought) was pretty bad, and as a wannabe-doctor, he couldn’t possibly let it go untreated.

So he dragged the other boy to the first aid area, and kept him company as the wound was cleaned and bandaged…and finally earned himself a smile. A small, grudging smile, but one nonetheless.

Will beamed.

The other boy watched him with unreadable eyes through his bangs.

‘My name’s Nico.’


	23. OOC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deliberately out of character, for the sake of humour...

Lou Ellen pulled a face as she noticed the two teens making out in the corner. They didn’t seem to care at all that they were in plain sight of _everyone._

She glared at Cecil.

‘You didn’t tell me they’d be here.’

Cecil shrugged.

‘I had no idea.’

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. Her best friend was utterly hopeless at finding out any sort of information; he was as non-sneaky as they came.

She definitely didn’t want to go to a party if the two meanest kids in the school were going to be there. No-one wanted to go to anywhere if Frank and Hazel were going to be there; not only were they obnoxious bullies, they had a penchant for PDA.

Lou Ellen’s mood brightened slightly as a familiar, friendly face slung his arm around her shoulders, and air-kissed her on the cheek.

Nico, with his familiar mop of bleached-blond hair, glittery pink eyeliner and hot pink clothing, as usual, and his ever-present grin, could never fail to brighten anybody’s mood.

‘You look fabulous, darling!’

(He was as stereotypically camp as they came…but who cared? He rocked it! Even Lou Ellen’s surly, black-loving, sun-hating friend Will thought so! She really couldn’t understand how he and Hazel could be related…)

‘Leo, sweetheart, could you please obtain some liquid sustenance for me? I am feeling rather parched.’

A very, very fancily-dressed couple, arms linked like partners from an old-fashioned movie walked past.

‘Of course, my darling Calypso. Do you have a preferred beverage among those available?’

Cecil, Lou Ellen and Nico exchanged a glance. Never had they met a sappier, more proper couple than Leo and Calypso. I mean, who wore an evening dress or a tuxedo to a teenage party?

Suddenly, Lou Ellen spotted someone else she definitely didn’t want to be around. She pulled Nico and Cecil behind the sofa just in time.

A Latina girl in extremely skimpy clothing strutted past, twirling her hair, the amount of make-up plastered onto her face clearly visible. Reyna was on the hunt again, for her favourite prey-Jason.

Though, Lou Ellen thought, it’d be interesting to see her fail miserably, as usual.

Jason only had eyes for Piper, a cheerleader obsessed with romance and the latest fashions, though she was completely uninterested in him.

(Lou Ellen totally got why- Jason was a disrespectful and tactless arse. Think the complete opposite of politically correct, and you’ve got Jason Grace.)

Nico suddenly grabbed Lou Ellen’s hand, cooing.

‘Aww…’

Lou Ellen followed his gaze, over to Percy and Annabeth, who were curled up together in the corner.

Annabeth was like a princess, really, with her golden curls and always perfectly-pressed dresses and bows in her hair. She was the perfect girly-girl, Percy was the perfect, smooth-talking, charming, handsome boy, and together, they were the perfect, romantic couple.

Annabeth, it appeared, was currently fawning over Percy, probably over his latest heroics at the swimming carnival. All three friends watched as Percy produced a rose seemingly from nowhere and handed it to his girlfriend.

(Cecil appeared to be taking notes. Nico wouldn’t stop cooing.)

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes.

Surely there had to be a universe where everyone could be a little less _them?_

(If there was, she was so moving there.)


	24. Hunger Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that Panem has become Eurasia and the Capitol has become Olympus. All other changes should be clear.

The second that Annabeth’s name was pulled out of District 4’s Reaping Bowl, and the blonde girl stepped up, standing straight and proud and seemingly unafraid (but he knew she was terrified; he could see it in her, even if no one else could), he knew what he had to do.

Percy Jackson stepped forward.

‘I volunteer as Tribute!’

Afterwards, when they had a moment to themselves (one last moment) she flipped him over and pinned him to the ground. Then she slapped him. Hard. Twice. With tears glistening in her eyes.

He just pulled her closer.

‘We’re staying together. You’re not getting away from me.’

And she nodded, her eyes indescribably stormy and soft and full of love all at once.

‘As long as we’re together.’

* * *

They were going to die.

They knew that, accepted that.

There could be only one Victor.

And they weren’t going to let anything separate them.

* * *

But the people of Eurasia, and even the Olympians, the privileged who never need to fear the Games, fall in love with the lovers of District 4.

The brave, clever, wily grey-eyed girl.

The boy with green eyes like the ocean of his home District who loved her so much he volunteered to die with her.

The people wanted them both to win.

But there could only be one Victor.

Discord, disquiet, _rebellion_ , began to brew across the country.

And Gaea, the ruler of Eurasia, turned to her son Kronos.

‘Announce the change.’

* * *

Now there could be two.

Two Victors, provided they were from the same District.

And there was a glimmer of hope.

Hope for the lovers of District 4.

Hope in the eyes of the people of Eurasia.

Hope for Percy and Annabeth.

And hope that the stirrings of rebellion would quiet.

* * *

And it seemed to quiet, at least for a while.

But there were events in motion that only a few were privy to.

The time had come.

The time had come for the rise of Camp Jupiter from the ashes of what was once District 13.

The time had come for the rebellion.

For the end of the Games.

For the downfall of Gaea.

For freedom.

(At least, that’s what Zeus, known as Jupiter, said, as he rallied his troops.)

* * *

In the Arena, the lovers of Four had no notion of the events that were about to come to pass.

Until a hovercraft appeared before them, and ghostly-pale hands plucked them from the ground.

* * *

Hades and his son Nico (who could not stop watching Percy and Annabeth with an indiscernible expression, perhaps disgust or anger) explained everything on their way to Camp Jupiter.

Their status as traitors to Olympus. (Newly declared, but they had been for years.)

The existence of Camp Jupiter, and the rebellion.

The role they needed the lovers of District Four to play.

And Percy simply reached for Annabeth’s hand, and nodded.

Because how could they refuse?

None of Eurasia’s children should have to die any longer.

And as long as they were together…

What did it matter where they were or what they were doing?

* * *

They weren’t Victors, not really, but it turned out many were on the side of Camp Jupiter.

And (as Annabeth had long thought) the life of a Victor was nothing like what Olympus’s propos purported it to be.

Little Hazel Levesque, only thirteen, the Victor of last year’s games, _saw_ things. Things that were made of what she called the Mist. Chiron, the kindly man who served as Percy and Annabeth’s guide, simply shook his head and humoured her.

Better than seeing what she _really_ saw, he said.

(And they all closed their eyes for a moment, wincing as they remembered. A small, fragile-looking, dark-skinned girl, only twelve years old, from District 12. Hiding in a burrow, because under the earth was where she felt safe, and the earth seemed to know that, and part for her like magic. The ferocious fire that raged through her forest Arena. The burning flesh and dying screams of the other Tributes. And the emergence of the little girl from the smoke, coughing and covered in soot, as the Victor.)

Leo Valdez, the boy from Three, the Boy on Fire, the one who’d built and engineered his way to victory.

(He still _made_ and _created_ and it’s the only time he ever has any light in his eyes. He alternated between burning rage and building weapons with which to destroy Gaea, and flickering sadness and making nothing but toys and trinkets.)

The smirking, grinning, joking boy, the prankster that Eurasia fell in love with was practically gone.

Frank Zhang, the unwilling Career from Two, the brilliant consummate warrior and strategist wouldn’t touch the sword and spear that made him Victor ( _killed_ ) any more. He’d only use the bow he’d had in the Arena, the one his mother and father (former Victors themselves) gifted him, the one he used to hunt for food.

He didn’t speak much either. And when he did, he stuttered and was awkward and almost clumsy.

There was none of the strong, purposeful warrior (and quietly noble- all his had been quick, clean, as-painless-as-possible kills) from his Games- and it was clear that’d never been _real._

(The real Frank Zhang was the boy who sat with Hazel for hours each day, talking with her in hushed voices, hand over hers, gently drawing her back to reality.)

Piper McLean, the stunningly beautiful Victor from 8, was barely recognizable.

Gone were the makeup and the stylish clothing that characterized the girl who seduced and charmed her way to victory, winning over sponsors and Tributes alike.

She didn’t wear dresses any more.

No-one could get makeup into the same room as her without her screaming and throwing it out.

She wouldn’t flirt with or charm anyone anymore. The only romantic words she had for anyone were for Jason, and they were _real._

Jason Grace was the perfect Victor. From District One and raised to win the Games all his life…a poster boy for Victors, appearing in every Olympus propo…until one day he wasn’t.

He refused to appear in any more propos, even though Jupiter and Hera ordered him and threatened him (which concerned them all, but surely they were better than Gaea? They were on the right side, after all…), he held fast.

Never again would Jason be anyone’s mouthpiece, anyone’s perfect boy. (Except maybe Piper’s.)

And then there was moody and brooding Nico di Angelo, and Reyna, a girl with no other name, born and raised in the Camp, born and raised a rebel.

They’re all broken and ruined…but they became Percy and Annabeth’s dearest friends anyway.

* * *

And things started to get better.

Hazel kissed Frank and he turned bright red for hours, a grin on his face.

Calypso, the District Four escort, was captured by the rebels, and started bringing a spark back to Leo’s eyes.

Piper put feathers in her hair, and Jason called her beautiful, and it was all _real._

The Districts began to stand against Olympus.

And Percy and Annabeth were still together.

* * *

And things got even better.

Olympus fell.

Gaea and Kronos fell.

And (because they knew that they only wanted power, really, knew that they might be trading one tyrant for another), the Seven (as they were called in the propos), Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, stood and joined hands and in front of all of Eurasia said precisely that of Zeus.

And so Eurasia was placed into the guardianship of Hestia and Chiron and, to the surprise of many, Reyna, and plans for the implementation of democracy, which was how Eurasia was ruled many, many years ago, were drawn up.

And the Seven started to believe that things could be good again.

* * *

And they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is all I wrote. It's unlikely that I'll write any more of this, I'm afraid. Thanks for your support and glad you enjoyed this story!


End file.
